A Pokemon Tale: The Rise of Team Rocket
by PokeBroncoFan
Summary: The second installment in the series. Red continues his quest across Kanto to collect Gym Badges and compete in the Pokémon League with his friend, Blue. However, Team Rocket's activities are becoming bolder and more aggressive while the Elite Four tries to keep the peace and keep the Nation of Kanto intact.
1. Recap and Prologue

The Rise of Team Rocket

**RECAP**

_Newly certified Pokémon trainer Red is traveling across the Kanto region aiming to collect the eight Gym Badges, which will grant him access into the Pokémon League Tournament. On par with Red is his rival, Green. Along the way, Red travels with his friend, Blue. Red, Green, and Blue each received a rare Pokémon from old Professor Oak, the nation's leading Pokémon researcher, and former Champion. Red and Blue have met new friends along the way, in the form of Gym Leaders, Pokémon, and even members of the prestigious Elite Four, and enemies: in the form of the wicked Team Rocket who aim to steal other Trainer's Pokémon for a profit._

_ The Elite Four, Lance, Lorelei, Agatha, and Bruno are operating in a covert mission to thwart Team Rocket and discover its master plan, which remains unknown. Meanwhile, the Elite Four suspect corruption in the nation's Gym Leaders, governors of each of their own cities, believing them to be in league with Team Rocket somehow. Meanwhile a rogue Pokémon Trainer with telepathic powers known as simply "The Phantom" has his own agenda with Team Rocket, for good or for evil._

_ The following is the continuation of Red's journey with Pokémon across Kanto as he works to achieve his goal of becoming Champion of the Pokémon League. _

**Prologue**

Erika was tending and watering the plants in her Gym in Celadon City when the message arrived. Lorelei of the Elite Four was one of her oldest friends since she was the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. Erika made her way through the streets of the beautiful city known throughout Kanto for its shopping districts. When Erika became Gym Leader of Celadon, it was run-down and dirty. Erika's skills in battle and eye for beauty brought Celadon City back to life and now it bustled with good hearted people who love their Pokémon.

Eventually, she arrived in Celadon City's sparkling harbor just in time where she saw Lorelei, her old friend, riding across the harbor from the south on her trusty Lapras. Lorelei slid off Lapras's shell and recalled her Pokémon.

"You wanted to see me?" Erika asked. Lorelei had a sense of urgency in her voice.

"We need to call Koga," she said. "We need to know the Gym Leader of Fuchsia is not corrupted."

"What do you—" stammered Erika but Lorelei cut her off.

"No time to explain," she interrupted. "Call him through the secure Gym Leader hotline, I will listen."

Erika's eyes grew wide. "You know it is against the law for anyone other than a Gym Leader to be involved with a hotline call…"

"Erika," Lorelei put her hands on the Celadon Gym Leader's shoulder. "I was once a Gym Leader, and you are my best friend, please, I need this favor from you." Reluctantly, Erika agreed.

Back at the Celadon City Gym, a gigantic greenhouse with exotic plants and trees on the inside, Erika fired up the video monitor in her apartment within that provided the Gym Leader with a hotline to any and all of the other seven Leaders in Kanto. Lorelei stood hidden in the corner so that Fuchsia's leader couldn't see her. After three dial tones, a middle-aged, sharp-faced man appeared on the screen.

"Koga! How is Fuchsia's weather across the bridge?" Erika asked. Koga spoke sharply.

"Cloudy," he replied, "Though I might say the sun of enlightenment is beginning to shine through…"

Erika had a puzzled look on her face. Koga always seemed to speak in riddles. He was the Gym Leader of a town in Kanto called Fuchsia. Fuchsia and its surrounding area is, in fact, its own country and its leadership had passed through his family for generations. Its people were loyal to each other, and extremely suspicious of the outside world. Erika was about to respond when again she was cut off.

"I know why you called, Erika," Koga went on. "And I will spare you some time: Long have the leaders of Kanto desired the rare Pokémon that live within our borders, and now corruption has infected the Gym Leaders of your country. This corruption threatens the continuing sovereignty of my people. Our alliance with the people of Celadon ran the thickest as with any other city in your country, while still thin in itself. And now I come to find out that _you_ have fallen into corruption."

Erika was stunned. What was this nonsense? True the road that was built between Celadon and Fuchsia that allowed Fuchsia to modernize created a special connection between the two cities, which eventually allowed the separate State of Fuchsia to be specially accepted into Kanto's Pokémon League. The link between the two cities was vital to the stability of Kanto.

"What are you—" cut off again.

"No matter its members, the Elite Four of Kanto has sought to fully control Fuchsia City and its resources to retain power and now I see it is true! You seek to control us and have brought one of the Elite Four into this message to deceive me!"

Lorelei gasped-how could he have known that she was in the room listening to the call. Koga continued on…

"I have recently come into contact with an organization known as Team Rocket, and this organization has promised in return for my loyalty, protection from the Elite Four and its schemes. As soon as this call ends, the road that connects our cities will be no more, and my people will live free from fear of tyranny."

The call ended as Team Rocket members blocked Cycling Road, the link between Celadon City and Fuchsia, the fragile link between not only two cities, but two different nations.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Long Way Around

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 1**

**The Long Way Around**

**Cerulean City- **

Red awoke in Cerulean City. They had to go north from Vermillion after a sleeping Snorlax happened to completely block the only bridge over a river of rapids so that he and Blue could make it to Lavender Town. So far, the journey was looking bright, and making friends with Misty, the Cerulean Gym leader had its benefits. Instead of spending the night in a Pokémon Center, Red and Blue stayed with Misty in her apartment at the Cerulean Gym.

Blue was already up and was holding a Map of Kanto.

"Finally!" she said. She rushed over to Red, fully dressed ready to go. "You need to hurry up and get ready! I've already mapped out the whole day." She pointed to Cerulean City at the north of the map. "We're here, and if we travel east all day we can end up here," her finger moved towards a small dot on the eastern shoreline of Kanto. "This is a Pokémon Center we can spend the night at, then the next day we have to navigate Rock Tunnel…"

"Yeah, yeah," Red yawned. "I'm gonna check on the Pokémon then I'll get ready." Red walked out of the apartment and made his way around the hall to the stadium entrance in the Gym. He and Blue had let their Pokémon play and sleep with Misty's in the giant acquarium that she conducted her Gym battles in.

He noticed a small blue Pokémon with a spiral on its belly walking along the bottom close to the glass wall, it was Blue's Poliwag. It swam around to Red with a smile and then swam wagging its tadpole like tail through the giant pool. Seconds later, a shadow darted right up next to the wall and stopped with a thud as it banged on the glass, Poliwag not far behind.

"Hey boy! What's up?" Red asked Wartortle. The three-foot fuzzy tail and eared blue turtle was grinning its sharp little fangs glinted in the light. Wartortle began doing backflips and agile maneuvers in the water in delight to see its trainer again. Wartortle was Red's first and strongest Pokémon, given to him by Professor Oak when it was a Squirtle.

Red walked up the stairs and sat on the diving board and looked out at the floating rafts where the other Pokémon were playing. Wartortle popped out of the water and gave Red a big hug, but the heavy turtle Pokémon knocked the tired Pokémon trainer into the water. He felt a tug on his pajamas and looked up as Pidgeotto, struggled and beat its wings frantically to pull him onto a raft.

"Thanks bud!" he said. Pidgeotto was the first Pokémon that Red had captured on his own. Through a little training (including potty), the tan bird Pokémon with a red feather crest on his head had evolved into a formidable foe.

A yellow dart hopped from raft to raft and then sat on Red's lap, eagerly wanting Red's attention. It was his Pikachu, the electric mouse with red cheeks who had bailed its trainer out of many tough battles and situations. Red loved his three Pokémon, and they loved him too.

"Come on guys! Let's get ready to go!"

Red's Pokémon helped to gather Blue's Pokémon to take them back to get ready to leave. Among Blue's Pokémon was the small aquatic Poliwag, the fluttering bug Pokémon Butterfree who was flying about the rafters in the Gym, Bulbasaur, the plant-type Pokémon that Blue had received from Professor Oak sleeping on a raft of its own, and Nidorina, Blue's pet from birth who had been through thick and thin with her trainer.

After saying good-bye to Misty, the duo recalled their Pokémon into their Pokeballs and headed off.

"I wonder if there will be many trainers on this road!" said Red, eager to battle.

"Yeah it's been a couple days since they've had a little exercise," agreed Blue. "Even if we wanted to we couldn't battle each other because our Pokémon are too good of friends!" she added, laughing.

After walking for a while, they came across a female trainer eating lunch on a blanket. "Oh good!" she said. "I've been waiting for someone to come along and entertain me!" She pulled a Pokeball out of her Pocket.

"Already ahead of you!" shouted Red excitedly as he flashed a Pokeball of his own.

"Go, Meowth!" said the girl. Out of her Pokeball came a skinny cat like Pokémon with a gold coin on its head.

"Time for fun, Wartortle!" The fluffy-eared turtle appeared from its Pokeball with a victorious pose. The picknicker ordered a scratch attack from her Meowth, but Wartortle had had too much experience, and withdrew into its shell right before Meowth could make contact and swipe at nothing.

Red's Pokedex beeped as it signified Wartortle had discovered how to use a new technique, and Red decided to take advantage. "Use Bite, boy!" Like a snapping turtle, Wartortle shot its head out of its shell and bit down hard on Meowths tail. The little cat screeched in pain as Wartortle threw it into the air.

"Now hit it with Water gun!" commanded Red. Wartortle pointed its finger at the falling Meowth as if it was a gun, closed one eye, and shot a high-pressure spray of water out of its mouth at its target. Meowth, being a cat, had no interest at battling anymore.

Red recalled his Pokémon and they were on their way again. Afternoon turned into evening as the road towards the Rock Tunnel became more mountainous and rugged. Suddenly, the Trainers found themselves overlooking a rocky cliff at the seashore. They were on the east edge of Kanto, and saw the road take a turn towards the south. In the distance, a small mountain towered above the surrounding hills, and they could make out the dark speck of a Pokémon Center nestled next to it. Further still was the outline of an old, ruined Power Plant.

"They say that Power Plant provided free electricity to all of Kanto," said Blue.

"Wow," said Red. "What happened to it? Why doesn't it work anymore."

"Well," continued Blue, "They say it produced so much electricity, it attracted something…big…really big and really strong so the workers and their Pokémon abandoned it."

"I wanna meet a Pokémon like that one day," said Red. "And then I'm gonna capture it!"

Blue rolled her eyes and they walked another 30 minutes or so before they came upon another traveler, a hiker, who challenged the trainers to a battle, according to the agreement Red and Blue created in the last book, it was Blue's turn to battle.

The hiker called forth from its Pokeball a Graveler, a large boulder of a pokemon around three feet tall with rough skin and four rocky arms. Blue checked the Pokedex only to find out that Graveler is the evolved form of Geodude, and decided to use a type-advantage.

Blue chose Bulbasaur, who is always ready to battle for its master. The hiker ordered a Rollout attack from Graveler that nearly steamrolled Bulbasaur into the dirt, but the plant Pokémon jumped and settled for getting knocked backwards. Graveler turned while still rolling and moved in for another attack when Blue ordered a Vine Whip attack, and the vines emerged from Bulbasaur's bulb and slashed at the rolling rock. The grass type attack took extra advantage of Graveler's rock typing and soon the large rock fainted.

Night fell and the long day of walking came to an end as Red and Blue healed their Pokémon, and rented a room at the Pokémon center.

"Oh yeah I forgot to mention one thing," said Blue as she crawled into her bed.

"What's that?" asked Red, he was falling asleep concocting new strategies he would use against the five remaining Gym Leaders.

"When the power plant was abandoned, all electric lighting in the Rock Tunnel went out. We're going to have to navigate it in the dark."

Red didn't care, he fell asleep.

**Celadon City-**

Lance received Lorelei's call and flew into Celadon as fast as he could on his Dragonite. It was night when he landed at the Gym to be greeted by Lorelei and Erika.

"Koga's with Team Rocket," said Lorelei, not wasting any time. Lance wiped his face.

"I'm calling the others," he said. Lance pulled out a video phone and dialed Bruno and Agatha's numbers. The old woman's face appeared first of four screens. "We've lost Fuchsia City to Team Rocket! Koga's corrupt!" Lance had a desperate tone to his voice, Lorelei had never seen him act like this.

Agatha gazed at her own video phone. "It looks like Bruno won't be joining our conversation tonight, he's probably with his girlfriend…"

"How can you be talking about girlfriends at a time like this!" Lance's voice was stern. "We've lost Fuchsia City! It could take decades to get them to peacefully work with the rest of Kanto! Koga is _corrupt!_ Out of all the leaders this was the worst that could happen!"

"Calm down, you fool!" said Agatha, her voice becoming stronger. Though Lance was the leader and Champion of the Elite Four, Agatha was the longest tenured and was unofficially "co-leader." "Koga can never be _corrupted_. He is in control of himself, I've known him since he was a boy. I believe that he has been _misled_ however. And I disagree, I don't think Fuchsia is our most pressing issue."

Lance was getting frustrated. "Well?"

"I haven't seen dear Bruno in such a long time, I'm thinking about having a talk with this girlfriend of his: the Gym Leader of Saffron City, Sabrina."


	3. Chapter 2 - Ma-Chopping Rock Tunnel

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 2**

**Ma-Choppin' Rock Tunnel**

**Rock Tunnel**

The entrance of Rock Tunnel was bright with the morning sunlight, but a couple turns into the tunnel, it was pitch black. Red called Pikachu out to spark its cheeks and provide a little bit of light. While they were walking, all of a sudden Pikachu was knocked into the wall of the cave.

Pikachu got up and showed some more sparks and in the flashing light the figure of a gray, human like Pokémon showed. Red recognized it from one of his previous battles. It was a Machop, a strong, fighting-type Pokémon who, like its typing suggested, loved to fight.

It was fast too, it dodged around Pikachu's Quick Attacks in the dark. "Pikachu!" yelled Red. "Use your big ears to listen for it, and then use Thunder Wave!" Pikachu stopped providing its little light and listened in the dark. When its ears picked up the faint pat, pat, pat, of Machop's feet, it shot the little sparks in Machop's direction, instantly the trainers heard a "CHOP!" and a thud as Machop hit the cave floor.

Pikachu provided more light to show Red where Machop was, and Red threw a Pokeball at it. After a short wiggle, the Pokeball dinged and Machop's name and Icon listed along with the rest of Red's Pokémon in his Pokedex.

"This is a feisty one!" Red exclaimed.

"Yeah," said Blue. "But if it lived in the dark of Rock Tunnel its whole life, how do you think it battles in the light?"

As they were walking, Pikachu's little area of light in the dark was suddenly overwhelmed by a string of lights on the cave ceiling. It was almost as if-

"How?" questioned Blue with a puzzled look. "The only electric current that runs through here comes from the abandoned Power Plant… No one lives there anymore; it isn't operational! How could this happen?"

Pikachu let out a sigh of relief. Though the amount of electricity it was producing to lead the way for Red and Blue was small, it became bothersome after a while. Red recalled Pikachu and put his hands behind his head, relaxingly.

"Who cares?" Red laughed. "I can enjoy good luck for a little bit without questioning it."

Blue responded. "I care…" her voice trailed off as she pondered the anomaly and followed Red through the cave.

**Lavender Town-**

Agatha ascended to the rooftop floor of Pokémon Tower. The tower was a tall, many storied memorial to the long dead champions and their Pokémon. Agatha's spirit would one day haunt its halls along with her former Champion predecessors. It was where she trained extensively when she was younger, harnessing the power of her Ghost-type Pokémon and learning to communicate with the long dead.

The old woman closed her eyes and listened to the faint, whispering of the voices. They were gazing towards the north towards the abandoned Power Plant. It was producing electricity again! Few of the long-dead Champions remember the power plant when it worked. A name kept coming up… _Zapdos..Zapdos has awoken_ they said. Agatha was intrigued by what the spirits were up to, but that wasn't why she was here.

She faced the West, towards Saffron City, the colossal tower of the Silph Building glinting in the afternoon sun. In her mind, she concentrated on one person she knew had strong psychic powers of communication, the Gym Leader, Sabrina. Soon, the young woman's voice echoed in her mind.

_I knew you would call_, it said. _I forsaw it, so I came up to the top of Silph for better reception._

Agatha let out a little chuckle. _Dear Sabrina, I seek Bruno, your boyfriend. He hasn't visited with the rest of the Elite Four in ages. I would very much like to speak with him._

Sabrina's voice got a tone louder._ He's out getting groceries from the store, I can't bring him to our conversation, too many thoughts in this big city, you see._

_Sabrina! _Agatha was not going to play this game with the Saffron Gym Leader. She was hiding something, the old woman could feel it.

_Relax,_ Sabrina's tone had changed, _he will call tonight, I'll make sure of it._ Agatha was not to be denied, but she couldn't let Sabrina know that the Elite Four was suspicious of her. Sabrina's tone changed again, this time almost to a sneer. _Ah, you're on top of graveyard as I expected. Why don't you just stay there until I can have him reach you._

The voices of the dead cut the link between the Saffron Gym Leader and old Elite Four member, they were shouting _INTRUDERS._ Before Agatha could turn around, she was grabbed by two men in black uniforms when she realized that an army of Team Rocket goons had come into Pokémon Tower. Her Pokeballs were taken from her, as well as her video phone.

The Team Rocket members all had on sunglass-looking headsets.

"Impossible!" she yelled at them. "No evil can befall here at Pokémon Tower, the unseen dead strike fear in the hearts of all trainers with wicked intentions and their Pokémon!"

The leader of the Rocket mission, a brown Pokémon with a white head, seemingly a skull, a long bone in its hand next to him with a specialized form-fitting headset, pointed to the sunglasses.

"The _unseen _dead," he said with an evil laugh.


	4. Chapter 3 - Mr Fuji's Request

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 3**

**Mr. Fuji's Request**

**Lavender Town-**

Red and Blue emerged from Rock Tunnel in less time than expected thanks to the lights powering on mysteriously. As soon as they crossed the southern opening of the tunnel, they were challenged by a young trainer, waiting for passerby's to join him in battle. It was Blue's turn, and she called forth Butterfree. The young male trainer chose a pudgy pink Pokémon about three and a half feet tall, and when it opened its mouth, a long, fat, pink tongue emerged from it. Blue checked her Pokedex and identified the strange Pokémon as Lickitung.

Aside from the gross shock of the long tongue, Lickitung wasn't able to keep up with Butterfree darting up, down, left, and right and a well-timed Confusion attack made the Pokémon wrap itself up with its own tongue.

After the short battle, they turned their eyes south, Lavender Town rested just at the bottom of the hills in a valley. Rising above the buildings was a large, old yet stable tower. Red stopped and admired the site, then took his hat off and closed his eyes.

"What is it?" asked Blue.

"That's Pokémon Tower," Red said. "It's where all the former Champions and their Pokémon are honored. The spirits of those Trainers and their Pokémon make their way to this tower from all over Kanto when they die." Blue shared in his moment of silence in respect.

When the pair made it into Lavender Town in the late afternoon, they made straight for the Pokémon Center. They healed their Pokémon and decided to check out the small village. There was hardly anything to do; no shops, no entertainment, no gym. There was only the tall Pokémon Tower always in site no matter which side of town you were on. Eventually, they rested on a bench in a small park.

"I wish there was a Gym in this town," said Red. "Green probably has at least four badges by now and I'm already trailing him with three…"

"Cheer up, Red," said Blue. "How many times have you defeated him head-to-head?" Red smiled. He had battled his rival four separate times, winning three but losing the most recent fight on the SS. Anne in Vermillion City.

As if wanting to hear their conversation, an old, weathered man sat near them on an accompanying bench. The two teenagers paid him no attention as they carried on.

"You know," said Red. "If it wasn't for Green's help on the ship, we might have all had our Pokémon Stolen. No matter how much we compete against each other, I guess I consider him a friend."

Blue laughed. "Maybe an anti-friend haha! The enemy of my enemy type thing. Don't forget Lorelei showed up, and that strange man in the cloak helped defeat Team Rocket back there too."

"LORELEI?" the old man spoke up, startling the kids. "How do you youngsters know Lorelei?"

Blue didn't want to answer him, but she was going to be nice anyways. "We've met her on our travels, she's actually helped us out on a couple of occasions."

Red interjected filled with pride, "Yeah! And we've met Lance too! We helped them stop Team Rocket and Mt. Moon and on the SS. Anne in Vermillion City!"

The old man studied them, and them looked around, as if checking to make sure no one else was listening. His voice became graver from the kindly old man tone. "Follow me."

They followed him to a small house almost hidden from view by a few trees in the corner of town. It was night when they entered his house. Red and Blue didn't know what this man wanted with them, but they had their Pokémon to protect them in any case. When they entered the house, they were greeted by a small brown Pokémon, one foot tall, wearing a skull on its head and a bone in its arms.

"Ahh hello, Cubone!" said the old man. "Did you stay out of trouble today?" The brown Pokémon nodded and gave the man a big hug.

The man led them into the kitchen, and drew the curtains on all the windows in the house. "Team Rocket is here, in Lavender Town." Red and Blue were had a million questions, but the man cut them off.

"There's no time for questions at the moment, we may not have much time," he said. "My name is Alvin Fuji, you can call me Mr. Fuji. My sister-"

"Agatha!" said Red. He knew the names of all the great Trainers by heart, and Agatha Fuji being a former Champion was no exception. She had come to his graduation from Trainer's school.

"Yes! Please let me continue," said Mr. Fuji. "My sister and I have a special connection, we can feel when one another are in danger." Blue was confused. An Elite Four member… in danger? "She's being held hostage in Pokémon Tower by Team Rocket."

"I don't know how she got captured, but we can save her!" Red exclaimed.

"Don't you think I've tried?" asked Fuji. He looked at Cubone on his lap. "Me and Cubone entered the tower, but there are dozens of Rockets and their Pokémon are no pushovers…"

"So what do we do?" asked Blue. She wished she could help but the chances were dwindling by the moment.

Fuji pulled out what looked like sunglasses, but upon further inspection, had a large earpiece that covered the entire right ear. He set the strange device on the table.

"Pokémon Tower is guarded by the spirits of dead Champions and their late Pokémon, anyone with ill will or evil intentions cannot stand to be there because the unseen dead Pokémon strike incredible fear into their hearts," Fuji continued. "Cubone and I managed to steal one of these headsets from a less than capable Rocket. Strange things." Fuji put them on his head. "Then I knew why these men were wearing their sunglasses indoors. It lets them see the dead spirits for what they are: orbs of invisible light. Any image conjured by the spirits is put to rest by the simple power of this machine."

Red was intrigued by the gadget. "That's so cool!"

Fuji let out a chuckle. "Yes, m'boy the bad guys always end up with the fun toys don't they." He then pointed to the earpiece portion of the sunglasses. "The other Rocket members didn't know their comrade's machine was missing, and I could listen to their conversations for a while, I unearthed two clues as to how to defeat them."

Red and Blue leaned forward in their chairs. "There is a central computer unit that processes the spirits energy and sends them back in the form of images displayed to the wearer through the sunglasses. They call these machines the 'Scope.' If we were to find where exactly this central computer unit is, we can shut down the Scopes, rendering the Rockets helpless against the wrath of the dead."

Cubone banged his little handheld bone on the table in excitement.

"Where could it be?" Blue asked.

"Ahh, the second clue," Fuji let out a smile. "These Rockets aren't too smart. The kept listening to commands from 'Celadon.' The central computer unit is in Celadon City." Fuji took off the sunglasses and handed them to Blue. "I'm too old to travel that far, and I have no way of contacting the Elite Four, and I thought my dear sister was doomed. But! I know I can trust you two! Please inform the Elite Four, and rid my quiet town of this Team Rocket mess!"

Blue nodded her head and Red saluted him. "Consider it done! He said."

**Celadon City-**

Lance was eating on the balcony of the hotel room overlooking the lights of the city with Lorelei, thinking.

"I was wondering how Koga knew you were present with Erika when he could see you when the hotline was activated."

Lorelei put down her food. "Who could have told him? Who could have seen? Maybe one of his ninja-spies saw me and Erika together as we walked towards the Gym."

Lance shook his head. "The ninjas stay in Fuchsia," he said. "Maybe Team Rocket is misleading him, like Agatha said. Maybe someone from Team Rocket saw you two together, and called one of his friends."

"Erika knows about Team Rocket," said Lorelei. "The Rockets are wanted criminals in Celadon City, and the citizens are none too happy about their reputation for destruction… They'd have to be hiding…" She looked at Lance in sudden realization.

"I think I'm thinking what you're thinking," said Lance as he released Dragonite from its Pokeball. "They've got a base here somewhere, and as Champion of Kanto, I won't rest until I find them and bring them to justice! Inform Erika, I'll see you later!" He flew off on the golden Dragon to skim the city for any sign of Team Rocket.

Lorelei put her face in her hands, and spoke with her eyes tearing up. She knew Lance was too far away to hear. "Lance, I love you, but… Can't it just wait this once? At least until morning. Can't we have nice memories like we used to…before Team Rocket?" She pulled herself together and gave Erika a call.


	5. Chapter 4 - Evolution by Stone

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 4**

**Evolution by Stone**

**Celadon City-**

Red and Blue managed to catch a bus in Lavender Town that took them to the outskirts of Saffron City, where the road was cut off yet again due to fears of a Team Rocket invasion. The two teenagers had to trek the east-west underground path that ran under the largest city in Kanto to arrive at Celadon City early the next morning. Though they were tired, their sense of duty to save Agatha and shut off Team Rocket's Scopes compelled them to keep moving. Luckily, one of the first buildings they ran into was a Pokémon Center where they rented a room for the day and night.

They took turns getting cleaned up and doing laundry, and finally they left the Center in the late morning hours, deciding the pressing matter of Team Rocket was more important than sleep. They had wandered around the city almost aimlessly for hours, with no sign of the Rockets anywhere.

"Darn!" Red said finally, and sat on the brick sidewalk between beautiful shops in disappointment. "There's no way we'll find them today this place is huge!"

Blue wasn't as discouraged. "Well, what did you expect? A big sign that says 'Team Rocket HQ?' Wow look at that!" She pointed to a nearby shop where shiny colored rocks were on display in the store window.

"Only a girl could think about shopping at a time like this," mumbled Red as he walked over to see what Blue was looking at. Inside the shop a middle-aged, well-dressed man was talking to a customer with a red, dog Pokémon no larger than a terrier. Red's eyes got wide as he recognized the species. "That guy's got a Growlithe! It's a fire-type Pokémon!" The man, who Red deduced was the store owner took some money from the customer and handed him in return a shiny red stone. The customer then proceded to touch the stone to his Growlithe and in a flash it evolved right before the eyes of everyone around!

It more than quadrupled in size and now stood about five foot tall from head to foot, and was now more than 7 feet long from snout to tail. Red immediately pulled out his Pokedex.

"Arcanine," he read, "the evolved form of Growlithe. This majestic, noble Pokémon is one of the fastest Pokémon ever discovered, and is a powerful adversary in battle."

Blue noticed the stones on display again, there were three distinct kinds. "These are evolution stones!" she exclaimed. "The red one is a Fire Stone, the blue is a Water Stone, and the yellow must be a Thunder Stone! Certain Pokémon evolve with these!"

The shop owner congratulated the customer on his newly evolved Pokémon as he recalled Arcanine and exited the store. Red and Blue entered the store out of sheer amazement.

"Hello young trainers!" said the owner. "Welcome to Evan's Evolution Stones! You are new faces! Feel free to observe the merchandise!"

Red was researching if he could use any of the stones, when he saw a chart that showed through the power of a Thunder Stone he could evolve his Pikachu into Raichu, yet the hefty price tag discouraged him. He looked around for Blue, and found her crouched over in front of a little play pen with many small, cute, furry, brown Pokémon with long ears were playing together. The store owner was there with her.

"Those are Eevee," he said with a smile. "A peculiar Pokémon indeed. They're the offspring of my very own Pokémon, Jolteon." Blue wasn't listening, she was tickling the little playful creatures and scratching their ears. Red checked his Pokedex about Jolteon. It was an electric Pokémon about the three times larger than Eevee, according to the Pokedex, and looked much fiercer. The picture showed Jolteon's yellow, spiked fur, almost like the needles of a porcupine. Red checked what his 'dex had to say about Eevee when he was confused.

"Sir," he said. The owner looked at him. "It says here that Eevee is a Normal-type Pokémon, but its evolved form, Jolteon, is an electric-type."

The man smiled and responded rather superior-like towards Red. "Well, that's what makes Eevee so special," he said. "Eevee can evolve through any one of the three Evolution stones I sell here in my shop. With a Thunder Stone it becomes Jolteon, with a Fire Stone Flareon, and with the Water Stone, Vaporeon."

Red didn't appreciate the man's demeaning attitude, but he longed for one of these Pokémon, that could become so many different types of Pokémon depending on the Trainer's taste. "How much?" He asked.

The man laughed. "Oh dear boy, they're not for sale, they've already had orders placed for three of them, and the smallest girl is staying here with me to become another mother." He looked at the Eevees with a smile. "They're priceless, only the most successful of Trainers can afford them! They're literally a gold mine!" With that Red and Blue were both discouraged and left the shop, not even recognizing the owner's good bye.

"Alright! Back to the mission" said Blue. She slapped herself in the forehead. "Duh! We have Lorelei's phone number! We got it in Cerulean City, we can tell her we're looking for Team Rocket's hideout here in Celadon City! I'm sure she could help!"

"Or maybe I may be of some assistance?" said a voice from behind them. The two young trainers turned around only to see a large, muscular man in sunglasses with a camouflage outfit sitting on a nearby bench. It was the Vermillion City Gym Leader himself! Lieutenant Surge!

Of course, Red and Blue had idea that Surge himself had been allied with Team Rocket for a time, even organizing the failed Pokémon heist on the SS Anne. So they were overjoyed to have some assistance.

"Of course," said the Gym Leader. "It's just another favor I can do for helping to rid Vermillion City of those nasty Rockets. You're one of the boys I gave a Thunder Badge to earlier, and now I'm gonna make you earn it!" Red was tensed up, would he have to give back his Thunder Badge if he lost? "Relax," said Surge as he stood up from the bench, Pokeball in his hand. "It's just some friendly competition! You can keep the badge, win or lose, how's that?"

Red smiled, he was waiting for an opportunity to test out his freshly caught Machop. "Sounds great!"

"Alright, one on one lets go!" Surge tossed his Pokeball into the air and out came what seemed like a larger Pikachu, with a darker, almost orange color and a long, whiplike tail with a lightning bolt on the end. Red recognized it as Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu.

Red sent out Machop, and the little grey Pokémon quickly identified its foe. Machop quickly set its human-like body into a karate stance. Surge's Raichu was an experienced fighter as well, and sparked its cheeks in response. It then sent out a wave of electricity at Machop, who skillfully dodged it and quickly reset its stance. By this time, people began to gather in anticipation of a battle, and were even more surprised to see the Vermillion Gym Leader in Celadon City. A large crowd soon gathered

Red checked his Pokedex to find out Machop's attacks. However, Machop knew how to fight, it was what it loved most. In the fresh daylight, it could see everything after living in the darkness of Rock Tunnel. Machop wasted no time in rushing Raichu and sweeping the ground where it stood with a swift, perfectly formed kick. Raichu was fast though, and quickly leaped over Machop's head and landed behind the grey Fighting-type Pokémon. Surge ordered a Thunderbolt attack and Machop cringed as the high-voltage electricity coursed through its body.

Blue looked on, curious of Machop. Red's freshly caught Pokémon battled like a pro. _Red was so lucky to catch this thing_, she thought.

Knowing he couldn't let this crowd think he wasn't in control of his own Pokémon, Red slyly commanded Machop, "It's OK buddy! You know what to do!" as if he had coached Machop its whole life. Machop nodded, it wasn't that it wasn't listening to Red's commands, it was trying to impress its new trainer. Raichu was charging to shoot another thunderbolt at Machop, but the little grey Pokémon was prepared. Throughout its short life in the dark of Rock Tunnel it had relied on its hearing to defeat its foes. Machop already knew how long he had to get out of the way based on his experience fighting Raichu, and the faint sound of it charging its power. Raichu sent a high-powered electric bolt and Machop, who seemed to dodge it with a foresight that awed the crowd and even Lieutenant Surge himself.

Machop dodged Raichu's attacks left and right. Finally, the electric Pokémon had had enough and bolted towards Machop, its body coursing with electricity. Machop ran towards Raichu as well. In mid-air, Raichu tried to throw and electrified Thunder Punch attack, but Machop was prepared, it jumped in such an acrobatic fashion to make Raichu's small hand swipe midair as it landed a perfectly placed Karate Chop on Raichu's head, knocking it out cold. Machop put its hands together and bowed as a good martial artist would at its fallen adversary.

Surge recalled his Pokémon into its ball and clapped his hands together. "Excellent battle, boy!" he congratulated Red. He walked over and bowed to Machop as well. "That's a mighty fine Machop you got there." As Red and Machop locked eyes, trainer and Pokémon smiled at eachother.

While Red was recalling his Machop, an orange flash descended on the previous makeshift battle field in the street and all the crowd gasped in awe, their day just kept getting better and better. Lance had dropped in on his Dragonite, after seeing the sparks of the battle from above.

"Surge!" he yelled, none too happy to see the former Rocket higher-up in Celadon City. "Long time, no see! Please leave us!" Disappointed, the crowd didn't want to cross lance and his powerful Dragon-type Pokémon. He turned to Surge, as Red and Blue went to greet Dragonite. "I'm investigating Team Rocket in Celadon City, and isn't it such a coincidence that you show up here."

Surge smirked. "I'm here for the same reason." The two young trainers ran to greet Lance.

"It's true!" said Blue. "He and Red were having an exhibition battle, but after that he was gonna help us look for Team Rocket!"

Lance looked puzzled, how did Red and Blue, such young Trainers, come to try to unearth a hidden Team Rocket cell in Celadon City?

Red explained the whole story: how they met Mr. Fuji (Agatha's brother), about the Scopes, and how Team Rocket is holding Agatha captive at the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town.

"The situation is more dire than I first thought," said Lance. "Our best hope is to find the base, and shut down the scopes. Then, I'll fly to Lavender Town and free Agatha." He put his hand on his forehead. "But where could they be hiding! They should stick out like an Onix at the beach!"

"I think I know," said Surge. Of course, he _did _know. He knew exactly where the Rocket Base was. However, he had to spin his knowledge in such a way to keep him out of the Elite Four's, and in particular, Lance's, line of fire. He renounced his loyalties to Team Rocket after the SS Anne incident; after the Phantom scared him into abandoning the criminal organization. "The Rockets I arrested in Vermillion City were squealers, in exchange for no charges filed in Vermillion, they told me _the exact _location. Get your girlfriend on the phone, she'll want to hear this too."

Lance didn't like the fact he let the captured Rockets escape in Vermillion took a second to dial Lorelei on his video phone, and after she gave her greetings to Red and Blue, let Surge tell his story.

He pointed to a tall building in relation to the size of the other buildings surrounding. "Right there," he said. "The casino. There are hidden stairs behind the chip exchange. I even learned of their plan: they send stolen Pokémon to the Casino to be sold as prizes, as profit for Team Rocket. I was heading to see Erika, the Gym Leader here, to request her help."

Lance and Lorelei still didn't trust the Lieutenant, believing him to be at least a former member of Team Rocket. They had no one else to trust, and Lance decided that maybe Surge's fear of the Phantom turned him against Team Rocket. Lorelei was there when the Phantom showed up in Vermillion, clad in grey robes from head to toe, hood on his head and black bandana covering his nose and mouth, leaving his eerie eyes the only body part seen on the man. Lorelei could feel the fear emanating from Surge as the Phantom returned the stolen Pokémon.

Lance, Red, Blue, and Surge began walking in the direction of the Casino. Lorelei was informing Erika about the situation, and would join them later.

"I know you guys fought Team Rocket at Mt. Moon and on the SS Anne," Lance said to Red and Blue, "but now we're walking into _their _territory. I can't be responsible for your safety."

Red nodded and held Wartortle's Pokeball in his hand. "Don't worry, we've got our friends on our side."

**Underneath the Celadon City Casino-**

The Boss observed one of the many television screens in his situation room. He had tapped in to Celadon City's many street cameras. He smirked as he observed Surge, one of his former allies, informed Lance about the location of Team Rocket's hideout.

"You've made a grave mistake, Lieutenant," the Boss said to himself. He straightened himself in his black business suit, a red R pinned to his breast. "I told you it was fine to leave Team Rocket, but you have pushed me too far. Your precious Vermillion City will be one of the first to be demolished when my plans come to fruition." He noticed Red and Blue following Lance and Surge.

"Lance, silly boy, putting children in danger," he laughed a mocking laugh. He turned to one of his tech operators, who was wearing a Scope. "Take me back to Lavender Town."

"Yes sir," said the Rocket member. He pushed a few buttons on his keyboard and the Rocket who had headed the mission to capture Agatha appeared on the screen, as well as the old lady in handcuffs, meditating with the spirits. They were on the rooftop of Pokémon Tower. The Boss picked up a small microphone transmitter and spoke to him.

"Excellent work, Desmond," the Boss said. Desmond put his hand up to his Scope in salute.

"Thank you, sir," he said as he flashed Agatha's stolen Pokeballs to him. "I can have these to Celadon City within the next day."

The Boss chuckled. "Yes, you are one of my finer members, but that won't be necessary; our base has been compromised. Surge has betrayed us, he's with Lance. We need to eliminate him. How would you like to become Gym Leader of Vermillion City?" Desmond saluted again. "Prepare to leave Pokémon Tower and take your team to Vermillion, I want the port back."

"Yes sir," said Desmond. "Are you going to leave? Now that Lance is on his way?"

"I will be gone in the next couple hours, I have to gather a few things," replied the Boss. The screen turned to static for a couple seconds, the Boss looked at his tech operator.

"It's interference, sir," he said. "There's a major source of electricity nearby that's jamming our signal."

Desmond reappeared on the screen. "Boss, the abandoned power plant just lit up! It was insane! Now it looks like… Something's coming this way! It's flying too high up I can't tell what it is… but its fast! Whoa!" A wind blew atop Pokémon Tower waking Agatha from her meditation.

"I don't know who you are," she was speaking to the Boss. "But that thing is heading your way, and I think someone is with it that wants to see you."

The Boss shut off the transmission, his face ghostly white. "Prepare my escape vehicle," he ordered his tech operator. "Let the rest of our Rocket's here take the fall, we're leaving NOW. Keep the Scopes' processor running."

"Yes sir," said the tech operator.


	6. Chapter 5 - Jackpot!

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 5**

**Jackpot!**

Lance, Surge, Red, and Blue stood outside the entrance of the Celadon Casino. They were just finishing formulating their plan.

"I think we need to have our Pokémon out now, just to be ready," Lance said. "We don't want any suprises!" He released Dragonite and the golden Dragon looked ready for business.

Surge released a strange, metallic Pokémon. Well, it looked like three of the small magnetic Pokémon Magnetmite all joined together: its evolved form, Magneton. Red released Wartortle and Blue released her trusty Nidorina, her partner since childhood.

"Here's the plan," said Lance. "Surge, you go round up as many Rockets as you can. Red, Blue, you guys go find and save any stolen Pokémon. We'll meet up later and try to shut down the Scopes."

Red nodded. "Where are you going?"

Lance turned towards the doors of the casino. "I'm gonna find out who's the main man in charge of this place."

The four trainers walked in the doors. It was a rather boring looking Casino. Empty of almost all people, save the old man here and there playing (and failing) the slots. It seemed to Red as if it was brand new, no one seemed to know about this place yet.

"Well it's a good unnoticeable spot for a hideout," said Blue. Nidorina's ears were perked, listening for any sign of danger. Eventually they found their way to the chip-for-prize exchange. The man's behind the counter eyes grew wide with fear.

"I know you know who I am, so do you know why we're here?" questioned Lance. Dragonite breathed smoke from its nostrils.

"Ye-yes sir," said the prize-man. He pushed a button on the desk, and almost magically, a hole opened behind the counter, with stairs leading down into the foundations of the buiding. "Please let me go! I don't like working for Team Rocket anyways! They don't pay enough."

Lance let him go, and the four trainers descended the stairs and ended up in a hall that branched into three directions. "I guess this is where we split up," he said. "Red and Blue, stick together! Lorelei will be here shortly!" He took off down the left hall. Surge casually started walking down the right, Magneton floating behind him. Red and Blue decided to take the middle hall.

Red and Blue checked every room they came across, empty except for some boxes. Eventually, they went into a room and found some Pokeballs sitting on the table. Not long after, Wartortle and Nidorina let out cries as two Rockets had appeared in the doorway.

"Here they are! They've found some product!" The Rockets each released Pokémon of their own. One was a furry brown rat, Ratticate, and Red checked his Pokedex to find it was the evolved form of the common Rattata. The other Pokémon Blue recognized as Koffing from Mt. Moon, the floating purple orb that spewed toxic fumes from its many orifices.

It wasn't long before an alarm sounded and Red lights began flashing in the Rocket hideout. _They must have found Lance or Surge_, thought Red. However, the two young trainers had their own problems to worry about, and these Rockets weren't pushovers. Wartortle and Ratticate wrestled around on the ground, knocking eachother into the walls. Koffing dodged around Nidorina's jumps with stunning agility.

Nidorina and Wartortle locked eyes and rapidly shifted focus to each other's enemy. Wartortle shot a Water Gun and knocked Koffing out of the air while Nidorina landed a powerful kick on Ratticate. It was the Rockets who were now in trouble, yelling down the hall for backup. Red and Blue chased after them, hoping to find more stolen Pokémon.

However, it was a trap, as soon as they went down another flight of stairs, as many as 10 Rockets awaited them. Each one had their own Pokémon ready to fight: five more Ratticates, a couple Koffing, a small blue flying Zubat with sharp fangs, and a Grimer, a nasty sludge Pokemon.

Red and Blue put their face in their hands in disappointment, how could they be tricked so easily. Wartortle wasn't discouraged so easily though. The fuzzy-eared turtle grabbed Red's Pokeballs and released the rest of the Pokémon.

Blue laughed. "Good idea," she said, "these guys don't play by the rules so why should we?" she unleashed the rest of her Pokémon as well: the mighty Bulbasaur, ready to charge; tiny Poliwag, scared but determined to protect its trainer; and Butterfree, fluttering in the air with grace in the face of danger.

Red's Pokémon, were angry. Wartortle barred its teeth, Pidgeotto spread its wings trying to appear bigger, and Pikachu sparked its cheeks. Machop, however, didn't seem to care about good and evil, and bowed respectfully to its enemies before getting into his ready stance.

The battle that raged through the halls was intense. However, all the commotion only attracted more Rockets to the scene, and the odds were stacked even further against Blue and Red. The Rocket's Pokémon surrounded Red and Blue's and all hope seemed lost. The two young trainer's Pokémon were outnumbered and Blue's little Poliwag could hardly stand all the fighting. The chances of victory, or at the least escape, were slim to none. Then, when all hope seemed lost and the Rockets closed in around them, something amazing happened.

Blue's Bulbasaur wouldn't let its master or its friends be taken. It let out a fierce cry, and started glowing a bright light. The bulb on its back split and out of it grew another pink bulb among the large leaves that were once the original plant. In addition, it tripled in size. Bulbasaur had evolved, and in Blue's Pokémon list on her Pokedex read "Ivysaur." Almost before Blue or Red (or for that matter, the Rockets) could gather their senses about what just happened, Ivysaur shot out razor sharp leaves from the enclosed flower on its back, it was its new special, technique: Razor Leaf.

The Razor Leaf attack acted like a machine gun, keeping the Rockets at a distance while Red and Blue recalled their Pokémon and made a dash down the nearest hall, they ran deeper and deeper into the depths of the Rocket Hideout. Finally, their pursuers were out of sight and they hid in the farthest room. Blue recalled Ivysaur and Red tried to catch his breath when they were greeted by a single man's voice.

"Well, well, well," said the Rocket Boss. "This is certainly no place for you children to be playing."

**Team Rocket Hideout: Lieutenant Surge-**

Being a former Rocket himself, Surge and Magneton knew exactly where to go. Along the way he met many Rockets, and while they tried to stop him, Magneton paralyzed them with an electric attack that left them immobile.

Another flight of stairs he descended. He wasn't going to see his old Boss, no Surge's Pokémon even as a Gym Leader stood no chance against his Boss's Pokémon. Not to mention he knew there was a personal vendetta against him within criminal organization from which he defected. He went down an elevator and finally arrived in the Rocket Situation room.

He sat down at the central command and opened up the feed to Lavender Town. Agatha was again meditating on top of the Pokémon Tower, captive. Desmond soon appeared in the picture, and was furious to see Surge on the other end.

"You!" said Desmond. "By now the Boss is long gone! And soon, I will be in control of your precious Vermillion City, and then we'll crush you! We're just finishing our leave of this tall graveyard."

Surge laughed. "You always were dull, Desmond. I didn't come to see your Boss. I came to stick it to the rest of you." He smiled and pointed to his sunglasses. "Let's see how you like those ghosts that haunt Pokémon Tower when your little sunglasses turn off."

Desmond laughed back at the Gym Leader. "You were never involved in this plan! It would take hours for someone to break through our security codes and shut down the processor! By then, of course, us and our captive will safely be back in Saffron with Sabrina."

Surge didn't lose his composure. "You don't understand do you? I'm a military man. I like things that go boom!" He released a large, sphere Pokémon, devided in half, white on top, and red on bottom. It was almost like a large Pokeball. "You remember Electrode, don't you, Desmond?"

Agatha was seen on the screen awaking from her trance and smiling seemingly through the video screen towards Surge, as if to say "thank you."

"Surge, you surely have gone bonkers," said Desmond. "How do you plan on battling me from all the way in…uh oh." Desmond shouted to his Rocket underlings off screen. "Mission abort! MISSION ABORT!"

"That's right, you silly boy," said Surge. "I don't need to hack into your little system, all I have to do is blow it up! Adios!" He switched the feed to the outside security cameras, and was intrigued of what he saw.

The whole city was enveloped in a lightning storm of insane proportions. _No matter, Magneton can create a polarized barrier to repel the lightning from striking me._ Magneton floated towards another screen, alerting its master. Now Surge was scared.

In a security camera feed showed a hall from inside the hideout, and walking down the hall was the same terror that appeared to Surge in Vermillion City. The very being that had scared Lieutenant Surge, powerful Gym Leader, out of Team Rocket. The Phantom had come to the party.

Surge turned to Electrode, "You know what to do." The ball Pokémon smiled its big smile and rolled as if to nod. Electrode began sparking uncontrollably. Surge ran to the elevator, and as soon as he was outside the hideout safely under Magneton's lighting-repelling barrier he heard the muffled, underground boom of Electrode's Self-destruct attack.

Surge ran around the corner, and down about a block as Magneton's barrier fizzled the lightning's random strikes. A huge hole had opened in the ground where the Rocket's Situation Room used to hide beneath the streets. He recalled the fainted Electrode that lay in the rubble into its Pokeball.

He looked towards the highest point of the city, the great Celadon City Hotel, fifty stories high. On top of it looked like a magnificent bird roosting, but Surge figured it was just a trick from the wind and lightning flashes.

"Let's go, Magneton," said Surge. "Back to Vermillion, I don't want to be near that _thing, _that Phantom again."

**Team Rocket Hideout: Lance**-

Every single room Lance and Dragonite found was filled with nothing but slot machine equipment, and floorplans for the casino above.

_Darn it!_ He said. _I've just been going in circles this whole time. I better try and find those kids and make sure they're alright._ Every now and then, Lance would run into some Rocket Goons, but Dragonite would make quick and silent work of them and their Pokémon before Lance put them in zip ties.

They ran down another hall back the way they came when Trainer and Pokémon were knocked off their feet by an earth shattering BOOM and a shockwave. All electricity went out in the building. Surge's Electrode had just destroyed the Situation Room, to Lance's ignorance. _That better not be those kids getting hurt! _ He thought.

He finally found another flight of stairs when he received a phone call on his video phone. It was Lorelei.

"Lance! Lance, can you hear me?" she said. The audio was filled with static, and the video feed kept cutting in and out.

"Yes Lorelei? I've been here for almost an hour now. Where are you?" He was expecting her to join the raid of the Rocket Base, but she was still seen on the video to be in a Pokémon Center with Erika.

"There's a terrible electric storm outside, I've been trying to get through to you! I was going to join you but right before the storm started, I was sidetracked!" The video signal was fading fast, but Lance struggled to make out a few words "Flew in…lightning…entire city...Phantom!" The signal turned to static.

_Well, maybe I get to finally meet the Phantom_. He thought. Lance was retracing his steps in the dark. Suddenly, Dragonite began growling at something unseen in the shadows, and Lance heard a voice answer him in his mind.

_Request granted,_ it said. A single light panel came on in the ceiling, illuminating the figure of man robed in grey, with long, black leather gloves and boots covering his hands and feet. He wore a black bandana over his face that covered everything under the hood except his eyes, which seemed to shine in the dark. _Your concern for Team Rocket is certainly justified, but I can't have you meddle with MY plans. _The Phantom raised its hand at the Champion and his Dragon, and before Dragonite could launch an attack, Lance and his Pokémon found themselves in the Pokémon Center, next to Lorelei and Erika.

"Lance!" said Lorelei. "How did you get here? There was a bright flash of light and suddenly you just appeared out of thin air!"

Lance looked out the door, lightning seemed to strike every second, falling like rain on the street outside.

"It's like that all over the city," said Erika. The Gym Leader had a solemn, scared look in her face. "I've never seen a storm like this."

Lorelei stepped forward. "Some citizens say they saw a giant bird fly in, and then the lightning started." Lance looked at some terrified Trainers also seeking shelter in the Pokémon Center and nodded.

"I don't know about a bird," said Lance, he banged his fist on a table in the lobby of the Center. "But the Phantom's here! He's in the Rocket Base. Those kids are in danger, not to mention Surge…"

"All we can do is ride out the storm," said Lorelei. "And pray for the best. Those kids are resourceful, and Electricity is Surge's specialty remember? It'll be alright." She put her arms around her boyfriend.


	7. Chapter 6 - The Boss's Beast

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 6**

**The Boss's Beast**

**Team Rocket Hideout-**

The kids stared in disbelief. They had made it all the way to the deepest part of the underground hideout. Red and Blue found themselves in a large meeting room, with a desk at the far end. Leaning against the front edge of the desk, a tall man in a dark suit with a red R pinned to his chest smoked a cigar.

"Lost are we?" his tone was mocking as he puffed the cigar. "Tell me, what are your names? Oh, where are my manners, I am the leader of Team Rocket."

Red and Blue's faces turned angry. Red thought he had seen him somewhere before on his journey…but where? Blue also felt like she had seen him somewhere before. Alas, the trainers couldn't put their finger on it. They were at a loss for words. How would they arrest this man? They figured Lance would be the one to catch this "Rocket Godfather."

"Not the talkers are we," said the man as he put out his cigar on an ashtray. He approached the teenagers when the earth-shattering BOOM of Surge's Electrode rattled the underground lair, knocking the Red and Blue to the floor and shutting of the power. The Boss caught his fall on the desk, clapped his hands, and the lights in the room turned back on.

"I almost knew this place would see battle," he said matter-of-factly. "So I took the liberty of installing my own power source. A scientist friend of mine designed it."

"Shut up!" said Blue. She had regained her feet and held one of her Pokeballs in her hand. "We're here to bring you to justice!" Red looked up at her from the ground, and joined her with determination.

The Boss chuckled. "Oh ho ho, dear me," he said. "The great Lance has sent mere children to do his dirty work. We don't want this to get out of hand, now, do we?" He flashed a Pokeball of his own.

Blue released Nidorina as Red sent out Wartortle, they were going to bring this guy to Lance.

The smile only got wider on the Boss's face. "Oh Wartortle such a rare Pokémon indeed," he admired the fuzzy eared turtle as it glared back at him. "Maybe I _will _take your Pokémon as well! Go!" Out of the Boss's Pokeball emerged a monster of a Pokémon. It was tall and brown with a wide base and tail, and sharp teeth.

"What in the world?" Red was going to check his Pokedex when the Boss answered his questions for him.

"This is Kangaskhan," he informed the kids. The Pokémon stood at least 9 feet tall, and was very bulky. "They are also rare and live within the confines of the Safari Zone in Fuchsia. It's a very powerful Pokémon, as you can probably tell," his voice got lower. "And _very_ angry."

"We're not afraid!" said Blue. "Let's get them Nidorina!" The little pale blue Pokémon charged Kangaskhan who kicked it into the side of the wall with such force as to run a crack all the way up to the ceiling.

"Help her out, Wartortle!" Red commanded. Wartortle ran up to the giant monster, leaped with a great velocity, and withdrew into its hard shell to ram its foe. However, Kangaskhan caught the shell in its hands, much to Red's dismay. It then chucked the shell at Blue's fallen Nidorina, furthering the damage to the wall.

"Don't you see," said the Boss. "It's pointless to resist. If you walk away now and surrender your Pokémon, you will escape unharmed." The Boss's words were harshed, but a bead of sweat dropped down his forehead as he quickly checked the time on a nearby clock.

_He's anxious to leave_, said Red. _We just need to hold him off as long as possible for Lance to find us. _He recalled Wartortle into its ball and sent out Pikachu. "We'll never give up until you're brought to justice!"

The Boss seemed angrier. _These pests just don't get it._

Blue looked at Red admirably and smiled. She recalled Nidorina and sent out Butterfree. The fluttering butterfly cringed at the sight of Kangaskhan, it had never faced a foe quite as large as it before. Pikachu was determined, after all it had taken out Brock's Onix in Pewter City's Gym.

"If you want me to defeat and take _all _of your Pokémon, I see no problem with that!" The Boss was noticeably angry now. "Show me what you've got!"

Butterfree lifted up Pikachu with surprising strength for its tiny hands. It fluttered around the room skillfully as it avoided Kangaskhan's rage and flying punches, eventually dropping Pikachu in an unreachable part of its back. The little yellow mouse unleashed its most powerful electric shocks again and again trying to bring down the beast to no avail, while Butterfree dove and rammed unsuccessfully at its hard leathery skin.

"You think your puny critters can bring down my Kangaskhan?" he mocked. "I can assure you we've been in tougher situations than this!"

"Maybe not alone, but as a team we're stronger!" said Blue. She released Ivysaur again. The evolved Pokémon packed quite a punch as it shot its Razor Leaves at Kangaskhan's eyes.

"Give them some help, Machop!" commanded Red as he sent out the little grey fighting-Pokémon. Machop took advantage of Ivysaur's leaves to run unseen towards the great Pokémon, and wind up a kick at its legs. Unfortunately, Kangaskhan's legs were incredibly hard, and Machop grimaced while barely avoided a kick from the giant Pokémon feeling a new enemy hanging out around its legs.

Machop then ran around and grabbed Kangaskhan's tail, and with a force previously unfathomed by all three Trainers in the room, managed to somehow swing Kangaskhan into the wall previously defiled by the fallen Wartortle and Nidorina. The Boss's big Pokémon smashed through the weakened wall into the hard ground the Hideout was buried in. Unfortunately, Machop also succeeded in smashing Pikachu, knocking it out cold.

Red face palmed and recalled Pikachu into its ball. "Impressive, little guy but have some awareness."

Blue cheered Red's little grey Pokémon: "It's OK, Machop, great job!" Machop turned to bow to Blue as thanks, and didn't notice Kangaskhan get back up and pick it up by its leg. Kangaskhan finally opened its eyes in time to see Butterfree flying in for another headbutt and used Machop much like a baseball bat, sending the bug Pokémon flying through the door behind Red and Blue and into the hallway. The brutal Pokémon then threw Machop to the floor and proceeded to put a gigantic foot on it, covering most of its body.

The Boss was frantically trying to get signal on his cell phone to reach a friend, unbeknownst to the raging lightning storm present outside in Celadon City completely jamming all electronic communications. Finally he turned his attention back to the battle.

"You are little more than pests!" he yelled losing control. Red and Blue each grabbed Pidgeotto's and Poliwag's Pokeballs respectively, ready to fight till the end. Ivysaur reared the plant on its back ready to launch another Razor Leaf barrage. "This ends NOW! I'm leaving! I've played here far too long! Kangaskhan finish-"

_FINISHED INDEED!_ Echoed a voice from an unseen entity through the minds of Trainers and Pokémon alike. Instantly, the door behind Red and Blue blasted off its hinges and flew at Kangaskhan. A Butterfree-shaped hole could be seen when the butterfly Pokémon was knocked through it. It made contact with the Pokémon's head before splintering into hundreds of small pieces. Kangaskhan fell backwards, knocked out cold, freeing Machop from its weight as the little injured fighter staggered back towards Red.

Everyone was shocked as their attention turned towards what now was a big hole in the wall that led into the hall of the hideout. When the dust cleared the Phantom, clothed in his long grey cloak, walked in the room carrying Butterfree in its arms. It handed the unconscious Pokémon to Blue before facing the Boss.

_Finally we meet,_ said the Phantom telepathically for all to hear. It raised its gloved hand at the Boss. At this point, the Boss was shaking with fear, and his face a sickly pale. He was scared of the Phantom! Red wondered why as Machop finally reached him and staggered into Red's leg, holding itself up.

"SABRINA WHERE ARE YOU!" the Boss yelled at nobody.

_Yelling is useless, nobody can hear you._ Said the Phantom. _There's only us in this room._ The eyes under the hood appeared to glow as he opened his outstretched hand wider. Then, a new flash of light appeared at the Boss's side. A young, beautiful slender woman appeared out of thin air.

"Took you long enough!" said the Boss. The woman smiled.

"I arrive when I foresee the moment is right," she replied. The Boss recalled the fainted Kangaskhan into its Pokeball, and in another flash of light, the Boss and the young woman were gone. They vanished into thin air.

Red and Blue were confused. They didn't know what just happened. How could the Rocket Boss and the young woman simply vanish? As a matter of fact, how could that woman simply appear?

The Phantom turned to the two young trainers. _Once again you show up to defy Team Rocket. You are both brave beyond belief, albeit stupid._

It was strange, Red and Blue knew that this new man was different, possibly a Powerful trainer with strange powers, but they weren't afraid of him like the Rocket Boss was. They were at a loss for words as they recalled all their fallen Pokémon into their Pokeballs.

_Also, your friend, the one with the Dragonite, tell him to stop getting in my way._ Before Red or Blue could answer him, or ask any question they found themselves in the Celadon City Pokémon Center.

As she tried to wrap her mind around what just happened, Blue was embraced by somebody. "You're safe! Oh my gosh you poor things! We were worried sick about you, trapped in the Rocket base with no backup! Lance is here too! He got here just like you guys! Oh gosh thanks for coming back safe!" Blue looked up at Lorelei, in obvious concern for them.

Lance grabbed Red by the shoulder. "You saw him too, didn't you?" Red didn't know how he got back to the Pokémon Center, but he knew who Lance was talking about. He nodded.

Lorelei went on. "We would have all been there, even Erika here," she pointed out the lady sitting on a couch in the lobby. "After all its her city she was ready to fight the Rockets herself but-"

Erika cut her off. "There was a freak lightning storm. Thunder bolts fell from the sky like it was rain. It was impossible to go outside, and none of our Pokémon offered us any kind of protection from the storm." She looked out of one of the windows. "But as soon as you showed up, the storm cleared…"

"This is somehow related to that Phantom guy," said Lance. Never in his life has he felt so helpless against anyone, it struck him deep to the core. "I need to find and question him."

"He saved us," said Blue. She still held Butterfree in her arms, barely awake now. "He gave Butterfree back to me… It went through the door so hard…" her voice trailed off as a tear dropped on the little bug's wing.

Lorelei walked over and whispered to Lance. "Let's just focus on one thing at a time, Lance. After we get to the bottom of the Team Rocket issue, you can chase this guy all you please." He nodded.

Red and Blue released their Pokémon from their Pokeballs. They were in bad shape. Pikachu and Nidorina had trouble breathing; Machop had a noticeable limp; Wartortle couldn't walk straight because it was so disoriented. The nurse assured the they would be fine in a few hours.

After Red and Blue had told the Celadon Gym Leader and two Elite Four members what happened in the Boss's room, Erika spoke.

"You both were very brave standing up to a Pokémon like that, and a criminal like its trainer no less," she said. "Red, I heard you are challenging Pokémon Gyms, is that so?" Red nodded. "Well then," she continued, "In honor of your feats today helping to protect Celadon City and helping to rid it of the Rocket scum, I invite you to a free, unqualified Gym battle with me tomorrow afternoon. How does that sound?"

Red smiled. "Yeah! That sounds great!" Lance and Lorelei's video phones rang, and a free Agatha was on the other line.

"Agatha!" said Lorelei, happy to see the old woman safe and sound. "How did you escape! None of us managed to shut off the Rocket's Scopes!" Agatha let out a chuckle.

"The Gym Leader Surge shut them off," she said. "It seems we were wrong about him. It was a rather explosive turn of events. I want to see you both here tomorrow in Lavender Town; we have things to discuss." The phones turned off.

Erika stood up from her seat. "I will prepare the Gym for tomorrow's match," she said as she exited the Pokémon Center. Lance and Lorelei prepared to leave as well.

"Stay here and get some rest, you two," Lance said to Red and Blue. "Lorelei and I are going to round up the Rockets that are still ziptied to eachother down in that hideout." Blue finally cracked a smile as she watched the two Elite Fours walk out the door.

She turned to Red as if to say "we made it," but Red was too busy asking the Celadon locals about Erika and her battling strategy, much to their annoyance. "That boy," she said. "At least he's ambitious.

**Saffron City-**

The Boss sit in a chair at Sabrina's apartment at the Saffron City Gym. Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader with powerful psychic powers stood at his side as he dialed Koga on a video screen. The Fuchsia leader appeared sharp faced.

"Speak," Koga commanded.

"We've been expelled from Celadon City," said the Boss. "While we were spying on the citizens of Celadon, we were on the verge of discovering an invasion plan."

Koga frowned further. "You're sure?"

"Yes, Lance and Lorelei were even there helping to prepare them for an invasion of Fuchsia, we were about to discover more when they found us out," the Boss was a skilled liar. He knew he needed Fuchsia to stay isolated; his plans were becoming more in the open, and he couldn't afford another Gym Leader to turn against him.

"Very well," said Koga. "I will grant your men more responsibilities."

"Very good, Koga," said the Rocket Boss. "Whatever we can do to help." The video shut off.

He turned, Sabrina was gone. But soon she reappeared in a flash with Desmond at her side.

"Well? Where is the old woman?" he asked.

"Surge," said Desmond, "he blew up the Situation Room… the spirits…" he cringed as he remembered the terror of the unseen spirits.

"No matter," said the Boss. "We still have Saffron City, and Silph corporation has developed something that will make all our worries go away." On the video screen he pulled up blue prints of a Pokeball.

"As I said before, sir," Sabrina said. "It exists. The Pokeball that can catch _any_ Pokémon without fail.


	8. Chapter 7- Erika

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 7 **

**Erika**

**Celadon City-**

Blue woke up the next morning to find that Red wasn't in his bed in the Pokémon Center's room. She took her time getting dressed and decided to make her way to the Gym, figuring that's where Red had already headed. To her surprise, he was right outside the Pokémon Center making sure his Pokémon were fit and ready to fight.

Pikachu was darting up and down the street, occasionally leaping into the air. Machop was perfecting its stances and punching the air. Pidgeotto flew at impressive speeds in the air, performing a loop de loop every now and then. Meanwhile, Red shouted encouraging commands at his Pokémon, lifting their spirits. Wartortle somehow got a hold of a whistle, and was using it to keep rhythm with the exercising Pokémon. It was almost acting as a coach.

"Having fun?" Blue asked. The Pokémon took a break as a Red handed each of them a Pokémon treat. Wartortle struck a pose and nodded. "When are you going to head to the Gym?"

Red recalled all his Pokémon. "We were waiting for you to get up! We're going now!" He smiled and pulled out a map of the city and started on his way.

"Well lead the way, sir," she laughed.

They walked through Celadon as Red mumbled to himself, working out battle strategies and tactics. Occasionally he would burst out in sweeping arm motion but Blue quickly learned to stand on his other side. The city was one huge shopping center it seemed. The people of Celadon lived in beautiful, medium sized apartment buildings while the streets were lined with gift stores and shops.

Eventually they came to the center of the city, one didn't need a map to find it. A fifty story hotel was in sight no matter where you were, even from the Pokémon Center. As they rounded the magnificent hotel's entrance, they came across a gigantic circular greenhouse. Blue was puzzled, but Red simply walked inside. As she crossed through the sliding glass doors, she made out a sign hidden under leafy vines that were creeping from the inside.

"Celadon Pokémon Gym," she read. "Well at least these places never get repetitive."

It was as if they exited civilization as they knew it and walked into a jungle. Impenetrable exotic plants and trees lined the neatly kept grassy pathway that ran sideways in front of them. In front of them a great tree rose up and out of the roof of the gym itself. At its base, an opening led down presumably to a lower level. It didn't take long before the two trainers were greeted by a small blue Pokémon, with four long orange leaves on its head underneath a large flower with spherical petals.

Red pulled out his Pokedex to identify the Pokémon as Gloom. Apparently the little "drool" coming out of its mouth was a sweet sappy substance. Gloom shook itself and little sparkly spores came out of the flower on its head as it smiled and sat down right on the pathway. Blue didn't know whether to be disgusted or fascinated. The spores made their way down the hole in the tree, and a few seconds later Erika, the Celadon Gym leader emerged from it.

"Ah you are here," she said as she gently poked and prodded the many ferns and flowers that surrounded the tree, inspecting them. "Gloom let me know." She went over and sat on her knees as she massaged the little Pokémon's flower petals. Gloom greatly appreciated this as it smiled and even more sappy drool came out of its mouth.

"I planted each and every one of these plants myself," she said. "Please, release all of your Pokémon and let them play a while before we begin our battle. I've found Pokémon of all types enjoy the atmosphere of my Gym."

Red and Blue did as they were told, and as they were told, the Pokémon acted like they were in Disney world. Butterfree and Pidgeotto took off into the many tall trees, eventually disappearing out of sight in the large building. Pikachu ran off to smell all the exotic smelling plants. The rest of the Pokémon simply followed their trainers (who followed Erika) around the pathway and up some wooden stairs until they came to a large, open roofed and walled tree house. Through the glass they had a magnificent view of Celadon City.

As they turned their gaze towards the inside of the Gym, they saw that the thick trees formed a ring around an open, grassy plane. Small pools dotted the plane here and there. Sitting above the ring of trees were many wooden benches, presumably for spectators. However, this was a private Gym match, and the stands were emptied. Erika broke the silence.

"Go on down, have some fun! Relax!" she said. The Pokémon didn't need telling twice. Wartortle and Poliwag made a dash straight for the little ponds. Machop decided to take a jog around the stadium ring. Ivysaur made its way down the stairs and in a few moments it was seen casually walking towards the middle of the plain, finally plopping down where the sun's rays magnified the brightest on the closed flower it carried on its back. Nidorina decided to hang out with the trainers.

"This is easily the most impressive Gym we've been in," said Blue as she watched the Pokémon play in the grassy area below.

"You won't find a more impressive," Erika stopped herself, "Well, a more _pleasant_ Gym anywhere in Kanto."

Red had had his fill of the sights he wanted to get down to battling. He wondered what Pokémon Erika would use. _Wait,_ he thought.

"If you don't mind me asking, ma'am," he started, "you've seen my Pokémon before the battle. Where are yours?" He felt like the Gym Leader had gotten an unfair head start, seeing Red's Pokémon before they battled.

Erika giggled. "Why they're right down there, I can see them, can't you?"

Red and Blue strained their eyes until they started looking at the exotic plants closer. While they could recognize any Pokémon immediately, it wasn't long until they saw Gloom and its flower, blending in with the surrounding plants. How many other Pokémon were there, camouflaged and hidden within the Gym?

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said Red. "I just want to battle, how much longer?" He didn't want to give the Gym Leader any more of an advantage.

"Oh we can get started now," said Erika. "It's my pleasure! A treat for helping rid my City of Team Rocket!"

They made their way down to the grassy plain as Blue stayed in the stands. The battlefield was like a clearing surrounded by trees and strange plants. Red couldn't see the ring of wooden benches above even if they were filled with people. There was only him and his opponent. Erika made her way to the opposite side. Red's and Blue's Pokémon observed them, ready to watch.

"Call your first Pokémon!" Erika's voice seemed rather far away, stifled by the humidity in the greenhouse.

"Machop! Machop!" Red hollered up towards where his little grey Fighting-type was jogging minutes earlier. Soon, he caught sight of his Pokémon sliding down the tops of the trees before swinging on a strange, blue vine and landing in front of its trainer impressively. Though its feet were firmly planted on the ground at this point, it still held the long blue vine that almost ran a hundred feet back towards the tree it hung from before disappearing in the leaves at the top of the tree.

"Oh," giggled Erika. "It looks like you've chosen my first Pokémon as well. Come on out, Tangela!" The blue vine whipped from Machop's hand startling it and Red. It recoiled its way up the tree, and a few minutes a tangled mass of the blue vines lowered its way down to the ground from another vine, like a spider hanging from a thread from its web. The mass then stuck two red feet out as it touched the ground and with a snap, it withdrew the vine and two eyes could be seen poking through the ball of coils and it ran to greet Erika.

The two Pokémon took their places ready to fight, separated by the green grass and a pink flower smack in the middle of the field.

"Ivysaur, get out of the way!" came Blue's voice from above. Everyone around couldn't help but crack a smile as Red had almost forgotten it was Ivysaur as it reluctantly got on its four legs and made its way towards the edge of the ring of trees where it lay down again. Butterfree came and rested atop its flower.

Silence. Like outlaw and sheriff in the old west, each Pokémon waiting for the other to make a move. The first move was made by Machop, rushing forward towards Tangela. Red could hear Erika giggle as Tangela stood still and unleashed a long vine at the little Pokémon's legs, swiping and tripping it.

Machop shook it off as it somersaulted forwards and continued its rush. Too easy, Tangela shot another vine at Machop. This time it wrapped around its belly and tossed it back from the direction it came. Red grimaced, this was not going well. Machop couldn't get near Tangela without those vines interfering.

"Machop!" Red got his Pokémon's attention. Red walked over and whispered a command to his Pokémon, who saluted in response. Machop rushed again towards Tangela.

"This again?" Erika seemed disappointed. "Brock and Misty spoke so highly of you, oh well. You know what to do, Tangela!" The blue vine zipped at Machop, but the disciplined Fighting-type Pokémon was a quick learner.

It snatched the vine out of thin air and tried to pull Tangela closer to it, but only succeeded in pulling out more of the vine as the blue coil Pokémon sat there. It was like pulling the tape out of a tape measure.

"Be careful Machop!" hollered Red. Just as he said that, Tangela shot a second vine at Machop, but just like people are left-handed or right-handed, this vine wasn't as agile as the other and Machop easily grabbed it.

With a long blue vine in each hand, Machop skillfully tied them together with the skill of a sailor. Even Blue above in the stands was impressed at the complexity of the knots.

"The problem with being tangled is that you can get yourself in a knot!" said Red proudly. Blue put her face in her hands. It was easily the lamest one-liner her friend had ever used.

Tangela tried to pull the vines back in, but Machop pulled back on the knotted vines, like tug-of-war. Tangela pulled with all its might when Machop let go, and the knot smacked the blue tangled ball in the eyes. When it opened its eyes, it couldn't react in time as Machop had closed the distance between them. With a solid kick, not unlike a soccer player, it sent Tangela soaring until it was stopped by a tree with a thud; sliding down unconscious.

"Interesting," said Erika. "But now it's time for the main event. Victreebell, please join us would you?" One of the flowers, a gigantic five foot tall bell shaped flower with a leaf on the top and two at its sides turned towards the battlefield. It had two angry eyes at its top and it lifted the top leave to reveal a gaping mouth with sharp teeth.

It had no roots as it ominously bounced towards Machop. Machop adjusted fighting stances, never encountering anything like this. Its whole body was one giant bell it seemed. Victreebell began spinning, the leaves at its side were razor sharp, and when Machop leaped to dodge them the yellow venus fly trap Pokémon opened its top and devoured the grey fighter.

Red was stunned. "That's not fair!" he said finally. "You can't _eat_ your opponent's Pokémon!" Erika giggled. They could still see Machop punching and kicking from the inside as Victreebell's body stretched and convulsed before it finally calmed down. In an instant, it "spit" out Machop, covered in a nasty purple ooze, fainted into the nearby pond. Blue's Poliwag tried to use its tail to splash water on Machop and clean him off. Wartortle was angered at its fallen comrade and jumped out of the pond, ready to fight.

"Sorry, boy," said Red. "Water Pokémon have a disadvantage against plants." True, Wartortle possessed the most brute power of any of his Pokémon, but Red needed to be smart. Blue was surprised as she watched Red tell his favorite Pokémon to stand down.

Red lifted his head and called to the treetops. "Pidgeotto! It's your turn!" In less than a second, Pidgeotto flew in and stood on Red's shoulder. "That's an impressive Pokémon, Erika." Red smiled. "But let's see it keep up with Pidgeotto!"

The bird lifted off of Red's shoulder and flew straight at Victreebell. At the last second, as the plant opened its gaping mouth, Pidgeotto ascended at an almost ninety degree angle. Red and Pidgeotto had practiced some flight maneuvers earlier in the morning, and Pidgeotto was happy to show off its speed.

Victreebell was powerful, but not agile. It couldn't gather its wits as Pidgeotto flew at it, then changed direction only to be hit on the opposite side by a sharp beak or scratched by its talons. Finally, when Victreebell's anger came to a peak, Pidgeotto flew up and broke through the glass on the ceiling of the Gym. Pikachu took it upon itself to zap the falling glass into dust from a nearby treetop. Sharp glass was a hazard, after all.

A loud coo was heard and Victreebell looked up into the sky. It tried to find Pidgeotto, but the bird was diving at the Pokémon in exact direction of the sun. Victreebell was soon blinded by the light as it tried to find its speedy foe.

Like an eagle scooping a fish from the river, Pidgeotto lifted Victreebell from the ground and flew around the ring of trees in circles with it. Erika, Blue, and even Red marveled at the strength of Pidgeotto lifting a Pokémon over four times its size. Eventually it dropped Victreebell in the middle of the field again with a thud.

Victreebell's eyes were red with rage, it had never been so humiliated and helpless in its life. It opened the leaf atop its mouth and a shrill, piercing shriek of anger echoed throughout the Gym. Even Erika knew her Pokémon was on the ropes; the tide had turned oh so fast.

Pidgeotto made a U-turn at just the exact moment. Though it was no longer the same, un-potty trained Pidgey, it still knew how to "put the icing on the cake." As Victreebell shrieked, Pidgeotto flew by, and dropped its business through the mouth atop Victreebell. Purple ooze bubbled and fizzled as it reacted with the bird poop, overflowing Victreebels mouth. Eventually, it toppled over, unable to deal with the disgustingness. Pidgeotto flew towards the pond where Poliwag and Wartortle celebrated the win with the clever bird. Pikachu emerged from the brush and splashed water on its butt, trying to clean it up.

Erika had never lost in such untasteful fashion. Nevertheless, she approached Red and held out her hand, a shining badge glinted in the sunlight beaming through the glass ceiling.

"This is the Rainbow Badge," she said. "You've earned it! Though I would never, ever battle that way, I must admit that you are certainly unorthodox, and have a very bright future!"

Blue had already made her way down to the grassy clearing and rushed Red, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you!" she yelled. Red couldn't help smile as he embraced her too. "Four badges down!"

Red was taken had already accumulated four badges. A sense of pride welled up in him. "Come here everybody!" His four Pokémon dogpiled on the two trainers. They were halfway there. Four badges down, four more to go. Erika smiled and applauded at the promising young trainers.

**Lavender Town-**

Lance, Lorelei and Agatha gathered at Mr. Fuji's house. Agatha's brother was busy cooking in the kitchen with Cubone's assistance as the three Elite Four members formulated their next plan of action against Team Rocket.

"Where did the Rockets who invaded Pokémon Tower disappear to?" asked Lance.

"Sabrina appeared, then disappeared with some of the ring leaders," answered Agatha. "She's got some crazy Psychic powers, far beyond my own."

"From the intelligence we've gathered, the Phantom seems to have those kind of teleporting powers," added Lorelei.

"In any case," said the old woman. "I think the Rockets are gathering in Saffron City, under Sabrina's protection."

Lance smiled. "She may have the roads blocked off," he said. "But some of us have Pokémon who can fly. It seems we've finally got them cornered."

Lorelei smiled as well. Things were finally turning in their direction. Agatha was quick to temper the situation.

"First thing tomorrow, fly in and inspect the city. Don't forget, she's holding Bruno, one of us, captive too. Don't you underestimate Sabrina, or Team Rocket." Lance and Lorelei agreed in unison.

A banging was heard as Cubone cutely banged its little bone on an empty pot. Soup was ready! And Mr. Fuji happily served the three great Trainers.


	9. Chapter 8 - Rivalry Rekindled?

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 8**

**Rivalry Rekindled?**

**Celadon City-**

The two young trainers spent the next morning shopping in Celadon City. It was a small concession Red had to make to Blue for challenging the Gym the previous day. However, the two had planned to rent bicycles to travel south along the long bridge that connected Fuchsia to Celadon at noon.

As they approached the rental store, they noticed the sign read "closed."

"That's a bummer," said Red. Blue pulled out her map of Kanto.

"The only other way to get to Fuchsia is to go all the way back to Lavender Town, and then south," she said. "Hopefully that gigantic sleeping Pokémon is gone by now."

A voice came from outside the store from a man on a bench.

"Fuchsia?" the man, Red had deduced he was the owner of the shop judging by the T-shirt he wore that matched the sign. "No one goes to Fuchsia anymore. My business is ruined!" He put his face in his hands and began to cry.

Red didn't know what to say to bring any comfort to this man. Blue decided to be the nosy one anyway.

"Why doesn't anyone go to Fuchsia anymore?" asked Blue. The man looked up at her and swallowed his tears.

"Koga, the leader of Fuchsia's Gym, has aligned himself with Team Rocket," he sobbed. "They're blocking the bridge and charging expensive tolls to anyone who dares to even face them."

The two young trainers were stunned. A Gym Leader aligned with Team Rocket?

Red was determined. "A Gym Leader's a Gym Leader and I need that Badge!" He said proudly. "I'll rent a bike from you, sir! How much?" The man smiled a little.

"I appreciate the offer," he said. "But I can't put kids like you in danger like that."

"Like I said," said Blue, "we should just go the back way." The man shook his head.

"I guess you could," the Bike Store Owner said. "What it lacks in Team Rocket it makes up for in its wilderness. Anyways, you two go have some fun here in Celadon, where its safe…" He put his face back in his hands and Red and Blue could hear him moaning about his loss of business as they walked towards the east in the direction they arrived in Celadon from.

Afternoon turned to evening as the silhouettes of Celadon's buildings disappeared behind them and the lights of the skyscrapers of Saffron loomed ahead.

"I can't believe Saffron is still closed down," said Blue. "They're really afraid of Team Rocket."

"It makes me mad," said Red. "I only need four more badges, and all the remaining Gyms are in a city in league with Team Rocket, a city closed that's afraid of Team Rocket, and Cinnabar Island way down south! Not to mention the Gym in Viridian is probably still closed…" His voice trailed off as they heard a loud screeching sound in the sky, like an eagle calling out.

"Look!" shouted Blue as she pointed back in the direction of Celadon. Red had to squint against the setting sun to finally see what she was looking at. A large bird was flying their way. As it approached, he saw a familiar spiky haired boy riding on top of it. Then the boy spoke, and Red's theory was confirmed.

"How's the badge colleting going?" it was a sneering, proud voice. The bird landed. It was large, nearly four feet tall, and brown with a long beak and red feathers on its head. Hopping off was Green, Red's rival who had received his first Pokémon on the same day as him. Green had rushed picked the fiery Pokémon, Charmander, ignoring Bulbasaur and Squirtle who would later be picked by Blue and Red respectively. Red and Green had had four battles previously, with the former winning the first three, and Green claiming victory on the S.S. Anne most recently.

"I already have _five_ badges," Green continued. He stroked his Pokémon's wings. "You remember Spearow don't you? Well, this is Fearow, its evolved form. It comes quite in handy when I want to get from place to place."

Red had forgotten how annoying Green's better-than-you attitude could be. Before he could respond, Green continued on.

"When I heard Team Rocket wouldn't let anyone pass on the bridge to Fuchsia, Fearow just flew me in. Of course, Koga the Gym Leader was no match for me-"

"Do you ever shut up?" said Blue, tapping her feet. She could handle Red because at least he didn't brag about himself. Green, on the other hand, quickly got on her nerves. Green turned to her.

"I know you don't have any badges, girl," he scoffed at her. "Who gave you permission to speak?" His Fearow turned its head and glared at Blue out of the corner of its eye.

Blue had already pulled a Pokeball out. "I didn't get a chance to battle you on the ship!" she said. "I want to know how it feels to kick your butt!"

Green laughed while Fearow let out a cry in unison and spread its long wings. "I guess a nice warm up will be fine. Hey, Red! Take notes you're gonna need them when the big boys battle again." Red folded his arms and leaned against a nearby tree, trying to act cool while he was very interested in gathering any information he could about any new strategy that Green used to battle.

"Three on three sound good?" asked Green. Fearow stood in front of its trainer flapping its wings menacingly.

"Sure! Let's take to the skies! Go Butterfree!" Blue released the little purple bug. Immediately the Pokémon flew around speedily like a dogfight above the trainers. The pace of the battle was established right off the bat. Fearow was fast. Very fast. It easily outpaced Red's own Pidgeotto in terms of speed, while also possessing that ferocious beak. However, Butterfree was able to do more acrobatic moves, avoiding Fearow's beak just barely.

"Alright, Fearow," yelled Green. "You've had your fun! Hurry up and finish that little bug, I don't want you tired for the flight into Saffron!" On command, Fearow angled its wings like a fighter jet, becoming more aerodynamic. Its long sharp beak slammed into Butterfree, knocking the frail bug out of the air. Butterfree's technique was effective against untrained opponents, but Fearow's brute force and sheer speed was too much for it.

The large bird landed behind its trainer and sat down, conserving its energy for the ride it would give to Green after the battle.

"Time for my second Pokémon!" said Green. "Let's see how you deal with this! Your boyfriend couldn't handle it on the ship!" He sent out Exeggcute: the pink, seedlike eggs all bunched together. Red perked up as he was anxious to see any weak point in Exeggcute's game. When he had battled it with Wartortle, the little eggs had drained all of the turtle's energy.

Blue pulled out her Pokedex and identified Exeggcute as part Grass, part Psychic type. She decided to use her oldest friend. "Go Nidorina!" The light blue Pokémon emerged from its ball ready to fight.

"Use Confusion, Exeggcute!" commanded Green. The eggs all began to wiggle as their eyes glowed. In Nidorina's eyes, it saw the eggs multiply exponentially dancing around mocking it. It began leaping and trying to crush the eggs to no avail, they started disappearing.

"Nidorina!" yelled Blue. "Go after that big egg over there!" She pointed towards the center egg of Exeggcute, its eyes glowing the brightest. Nidorina heard its master's voice and snapped out of its trance. "Use your Poison Sting attack!" It ran swiftly and lunged at the bigger egg, its mouth gaping fangs barred as it bit its foe. The big egg began to appear sick as it toppled over while the disease quickly spread among its partners. Blue had won round two.

"This girl can party too!" laughed Blue. "Bring out Charmeleon, let's see what you're really made of!"

Green laughed too, though obviously not happy losing even one of his Pokémon in the fight. "The one you call Charmeleon only comes out for battles that are tough! Kadabra, you can handle this!" He released a golden Pokémon with brown shoulder pads and two long whiskers. It held a silver spoon in its hand. "You remember Abra from the bridge by Cerulean City! This is its evolution! You see, making Pokémon evolve greatly increases their power! Now let's see your last Pokémon!"

Blue sent out Ivysaur, the very Pokémon Green had scorned in Professor Oak's lab. It was going to make Green pay for overlooking it.

"This is Ivysaur!" said Blue. Ivysaur growled. "He doesn't like you very much, you see. Now show us what you can do! Use Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur lowered its head and launched the barrage of sharp leaves from the pink flower on its back.

"Is that all you've got?" mocked Green. As soon as the leaves were about to strike Kadabra, its eyes glowed and the leaves froze in midair, glowing with Kadabra's Psychic energy. It pointed the spoon at Ivysaur and the leaves shot back at the greenish Pokémon. Luckily, Ivysaur was quick with the Vines hidden in the flower on its back as it skillfully batted the leaves away.

Ivysaur let out a little battle cry and boldly charged at its foe. Once again, right before Blue's Pokémon made contact Kadabra acted. In a flash of light it teleported to a separate location as Ivysaur skidded to a halt. It whipped around and violently charged again.

"Geez, you just don't know when you're beat, do you?" said Green condescendingly. Kadabra's eyes glowed and pointed its spoon at the charging Pokémon, who was lifted into the air outside its own power, glowing the same color as Kadabra's eyes. "You can't beat Psychics with brute strength," Green chided. "Finish it, Kadabra."

The golden Pokémon's spoon bent downwards as Ivysaur contorted with pain in, still suspended in midair. Blue gritted her teeth as she couldn't stand the sight of one of her strongest Pokémon crying out so helplessly. Kadabra's spoon bent farther down, and Ivyaur's flower began to wilt and seemingly lose color. Its voice was no stronger than a whisper when Blue ended the fight.

"STOP!" she yelled as she ran into the middle of the fight and grabbed Ivysaur. Green's Pokémon ended its Psychic attack and allowed its oppenents trainer to reclaim it. "You win, and I hope you're proud of yourself." Her face flushed with rage. She recalled Ivysaur into its Pokeball and stomped towards Green. "There's a difference between winning and trying to severely hurt your opponent!" She was nearly in his face at this point. Red didn't know what to do, he was busy jotting notes and little sketches, hypothesizing about how he would have to defeat Kadabra should he ever face it.

Kadabra glanced at Blue and Fearow, still present, let out a growl of warning, telling Blue to back off from its trainer.

"I don't know if that makes you any better than Team Rocket," said Blue as she turned her back on Green, tears in her eyes. She had remembered how brutally the Rocket Boss's Pokémon beat up hers and Red's Pokémon. She could still see Butterfree's crumpled, almost lifeless body after it had smashed through the door. This time, it was Ivysaur panting in fear in her arms.

Green recalled Kadabra and hopped on Fearow's back. "You'll never win any meaningful battles if you don't develop some thicker skin." Fearow lifted off and circled Red and Blue. "I expect more from you, Red! Remember that!" he said as Fearow flew off towards Saffron City's buildings in the distance.

It wasn't long before Red and Blue arrived at Saffron's west gate. Once again denied entry, they walked through the underground path that ran east and west under Saffron, a journey that lasted a good two hours through the long, plain hallway. It was late when they emerged just east of Saffron. They waited and finally caught a bus that took them back to Lavender Town.

Blue hadn't said much throughout the whole journey after Green left them. She fell asleep on the bus and laid her head on his shoulder. For a while, he had forgotten all about badges, or his rivalry with Green. He just wanted to make sure Blue was alright.

_She was pretty shaken up after that battle,_ he thought. _She cares a lot about her Pokémon, even if it means losing._ He wondered if he could have done the same thing in her situation. What if Wartortle had a crack in its shell? Machop, a broken leg? A crushed Pikachu? Pidgeotto with a clipped wing? _Yeah I would, those Pokémon of ours aren't simply tools for battle and competition. They're our friends._ He smiled and looked at Blue, resting peacefully in the seat next to him. He put his arm around her and rested his head on hers. _Thanks for being a great person, Blue. I couldn't have gotten this far without you. _The bus trudged on, Lavender Town still an hour away.

**The Skies Above Saffron-**

Green was puzzled. The roads were blocked to Fuchsia, so he just flew over the roadblocks on Fearow. Surely Saffron would be the same? Wrong. When Fearow went in for a landing, it was stopped by some invisible barrier, like a force field. Everywhere Green and Fearow flew, the same conclusion was reached. This force field extended all above the city, like giant invisible dome.

Green landed; Fearow began to slow. He recalled it into its Pokeball and sat under a tree. He leaned his head back in frustration. "What kind of Pokémon can create a barrier around an entire city?" he said. The answer came.

"Not just _a _Pokémon," said a woman's voice. "It would take many Pokémon, all highly trained in their Psychic Powers, as well as a trainer who understands these powers herself." Green stood up and looked around.

"Who are you? Where are you?" he frantically scanned his head from side to side. The Pokeball of his starter Pokémon in his hand.

"Right here!" Green turned his head again and there she was. A tall, pretty woman stood directly in front of him. "I've heard much about you, Green, grandson of Samuel Oak. You've defeated many Gym Leaders... You show such promise! We could use a trainer like you!"

Green recognized the woman. He knew the faces and names of all the current Gym Leaders in Kanto.

"Sabrina!"


	10. Chapter 9 - The Poke-Flute

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 9**

**The Poke-Flute**

**Lavender Town-**

The bus dropped the two tired trainers off at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center late that evening, around 11 o' clock. Red had to help Blue walk into the building, as she was too tired to not run into walls or stumble. They had just crossed the threshold of the Center when the two were greeted with the welcoming cry of a familiar Pokémon.

"Bone! Cubooooone!" The little brown Pokémon stood on a nearby table eating Pokémon food. Its eyes that showed through the skull it wore were smiling, and it waved the bone in its hand excitedly. Red smiled back and sat Blue down at a table where she promptly laid her head back in her arms, dozing off again.

"So you're who Mr. Fuji's Cubone was waiting for," said a Pokémon Center employee, who had come to refill Cubone's bowl of Pokémon food. "Mr. Fuji makes many donations to our Center in Lavender Town, and Cubone here is always taken good care of." She scratched the little Pokémon's back before returning to her other duties.

"So what's up? How's Mr. Fuji?" asked Red as he scratched Cubone's back in the same spot the nurse had. Cubone jumped off the table and tugged on Red's pants, pointing in the direction of the entrance to the Pokémon Center with its bone. It then waddled over to Blue tugging on her leg and succeeded in pulling the exhausted Pokémon Trainer out of the chair, on to the floor, and into consciousness.

"What! Where? Who?" she exclaimed as she quickly got up, one of her Pokémon's Pokeballs in her hand ready for a fight. Blue gathered her senses and decided they must be in Lavender Town when she took in the surroundings of the Pokémon Center lobby as well as the sight of Red and Cubone.

"About time you woke up!" laughed Red. "Cubone wants us to follow him, let's go!" Cubone waddled right out the door followed by Red. Blue wiped her face.

"But it's so late," her voice was drowned out by the sound of the sliding Pokémon Center doors.

It took around thirty minutes for the two trainers and little Cubone to walk to Mr. Fuji's house. Pokémon Tower, always visible in town, seemed to radiate an eerie purple light from its windows and at the very top. Finally, they returned to Mr. Fuji's small cottage surrounded by trees in the far corner of town. A single light from a candle flickered in the kitchen window and as they approached they could make out the a faint and almost unheard sound of music over the crunch of their footsteps over fallen leaves. At the sound of the music, Blue felt all her exhaustion and tiredness melt away.

Cubone banged on the front door with its bone and the music stopped. As expected, Mr. Fuji opened the door.

"Ah, come in my friends!" he said with a giant smile on his face. He gave Red and Blue each warm welcoming hugs as he led them back to the kitchen where he had sent them off to Celadon City in the days before. Sitting quietly at the table looking out the window was an old woman holding a cane. Red recognized her face immediately.

Before he could exclaim in excitement, a voice inside his head spoke for him. _Yes, it is I, Agatha._ She turned to the young trainers. Cubone leapt into her lap as she kept her gaze at the young trainers. _Thank you for your help in Celadon City._

Red looked at Blue, who looked back at him. She was hearing the voice too. Agatha laughed.

"Dear me, it's late," she said out loud. "I guess the bus ran late tonight it is far past my bed time. Feed the children won't you, Alvin?" Mr. Fuji arrived in an instant sporting an apron and pouring Red and Blue each bowls of soup. They had lost all sense of being tired, and ate ravenously.

Finally, Blue spoke to Agatha. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We didn't know you were waiting for us here."

"It's an honor to meet you," said Red trying to fight back a mouthful of soup. Blue kicked him under the table for forgetting his manners.

"Oh, no worries," said Agatha as she turned back towards the open window. "You're not the only ones we're expecting tonight. Lance is on his way back as well."

Red got excited again. No matter how many times he had met Lance, the reigning Pokémon League Champion, he always had a sense of awe inside of him.

"Aren't you tired though?" asked Blue who was checking the digital clock on her Pokedex. "It's nearly midnight."

By this time, Mr. Fuji had rejoined them at the table. "Ah," he said. "We may be old, but we can stay up days at a time." He proceeded to pull out what looked like a regular wooden flute to show the young trainers. "This-"

His voice was cut out by the sudden whoosh of the candle on the table going out. It was pitch dark in the house and Agatha chuckled. Red couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.

"Red, get your hand off my shoulder," Blue said.

Though he couldn't prove it, Red waved his hands around. "Hey it's not me!" he said. Mr. Fuji snorted in the darkness.

"Stop playing, Red, this isn't funny," said Blue. She reached to grab the hand and let out an ear-piercing scream as the candle came back on. A dark purple Pokémon that was just a gaseous head and sharp fangs with disembodied hands levitated inches from her face. It rolled its eyes around erratically and stuck out a long, gross tongue. Blue contorted her face in horror. "AAAAARGH! GO AWAY! GO AWAAAAAY!" She was terrified flapping at the Pokémon with one hand while hiding her face with the other.

"Now, now, Haunter, you've had your fun," said Agatha. The purple Pokémon floated around the table to the old woman, leaving a trail of disappearing purple gas in its wake. The Pokémon croaked a harsh, echoing laugh.

Mr. Fuji walked around to Blue, who tried to hide behind him. "It's okay, Blue. Haunter is one of Agatha's Pokémon. It may seem like the stuff of nightmares but it just likes to have a little fun. Why, I sometimes get quite the shock when I look in the mirror and put in my teeth in the morning." At the mention of removable teeth, Blue decided to hide behind Red instead, who was gathering data on his Pokedex about Haunter.

"A Ghost-type Pokémon," Red laughed as he turned his head around to Blue and laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face!" Blue pinched his ear in revenge.

She slowly crept back into her seat, and scooted it closer to Red while she was still eying Haunter. It was staring at Agatha, the large smile never leaving its face. Then, it seemed to grab at its gaseous head with one of its detached hands. It molded the ball of purple smoke-like substance into the shape of a Pokémon, which Red and Blue soon recognized as the shape of Dragonite. The tiny, smoky dragon flew around the room and landed in front of Blue.

"Haunter says Lance has arrived," said Agatha smiling. Blue reached out to touch the little dragon made of purple smoke sitting on the table. However, she stopped as her face turned deathly white as Haunter had disappeared around the table and passed through her body from behind, and acted like he ate the smoky figure of Dragonite. Cubone banged its bone on the table in delight at the Ghost Pokémon's performance.

"So…Cold," she said as she scooted even closer to Red and curled up in her chair.

Almost instantly afterwards, the front door opened and Lance arrived as Haunter had announced. Red leapt to his feet and Lance shook his hand and smiled. He looked at Blue, still traumatized from Haunter's jokes.

"It gets better," he patted Blue on the head. He turned to Agatha. "I trust Lorelei has already left?"

"Yes, she left about an hour before these two youngsters arrived," said Mr. Fuji.

"Yeah, where'd she go?" asked Red feeling important. He was so excited to be in the same room with two great Pokémon Trainers. He almost felt a part of the Elite Four…well, except for the accolades…and experience…and credentials.

Agatha answered, though still looking at Lance. "She went to Cerulean City to speak with her sister."

_Right, Misty the Gym Leader is her sister, _he remembered. For what seemed like minutes, Lance and Agatha stared at each other. Red deduced Agatha was telling him something telepathically, just like she had with him and Blue earlier.

Lance broke the silence. "There's no way into Saffron City. The entire town is covered in an impenetrable force field, and I can't legally force my way in through one of the four gates. Sabrina has the entire city to herself."

Red was puzzled. Hadn't Green tried to fly into the city earlier? He wondered how his rival could've gotten in while Lance couldn't, if at all.

Agatha turned to Red and Blue (who was slowly gathering herself, yet still eying Haunter who was playing tug of war with Cubone's bone). "You're collecting Gym Badges, so the news of Saffron City's closure is troubling to you." Red nodded. "I must tell you now, Sabrina the Saffron Gym Leader is working with Team Rocket and she's blocked off her entire city from our interference, skillfully I might add. We believe she is also holding Bruno, one of our colleagues captive as well."

Red and Blue were equally in shock. They didn't know what to say; a Gym Leader aiding Team Rocket? Agatha continued.

"You two have done quite enough to help us, but I'm afraid I won't put you in any more danger than you need to be. We will find a way to free Saffron, strip Sabrina of her title, and ensure you can challenge that Gym as well. In the meantime, you can stay here with Mr. Fuji if you wish."

"Thank you," answered Red. "But we were planning on going to Fuchsia so I could challenge that Gym first. Maybe by the time we're done there Saffron City will be open again?"

"If you can navigate the wilderness between Lavender Town and Fuchsia, I'm sure you could challenge Koga," said Lance. "Don't let him know you've been fighting Team Rocket though, or that you know us. He's allied with Team Rocket too."

Blue was finally able to speak again. "Then we'll go to Fuchsia and change his mind!" she said determinedly. "I'm sure there's a way to convince him."

Agatha looked at Lance and frowned. _You would put these teenagers in the face of danger knowing how lucky they were to get out of it last time? Who knows if the Rockets in Fuchsia know about them? If they're looking for them? Can you live with yourself knowing you delivered Team Rocket two of their most wanted?_

Lance smiled at the kids. "I think your idea is great Blue," he said. "Just promise that you'll keep in touch." Red and Blue nodded in unison.

Agatha did not like her input being ignored. "Well if you have minds to change, you might as well head out now." Lance looked at her angrily. Surely she would let them have a nights rest first? This must be her revenge for being put off. Agatha just smiled at the young trainers and chuckled. "What are you waiting for? Off you go."

Surprised by the sudden goodbye, Red and Blue found themselves being led to the front door by Mr. Fuji. In the doorway he stopped them, pulled out his old wooden flute and handed it to Blue.

"Just walk as long as you can down the south road," he said. "It's best not to disappoint Agatha, she must have great faith in you to send you off so suddenly." He knelt down and held Blue's hand with the flute in it. "This is from me, as my thanks for helping to save Agatha from Team Rocket. It's Poke-flute, one of the last of its kind. Playing it does wonders for the human spirit, and has even more magical effects on Pokémon." He pointed towards the top three holes on the flute. "These notes have the power to wake up people, and these," he gestured towards the bottom two, "wake up sleeping Pokémon. I'm sure you can find some use for it. Now, ta ta! See you later."

Almost before they knew it, Red and Blue were walking south in the early morning hours after midnight. Pokémon Tower and Lavender Town slowly disappeared from view. They found themselves walking along a loud, rushing river bank as the road disappeared. Blue pulled out her map of Kanto.

"This is the same river that we tried to cross from Vermillion City," she said. She pointed a little further south, where she could make out the faint outline of the familiar bridge crossing over the rapids. The giant shadowy lump of Snorlax, the sleeping Pokémon, still covered the middle of the bridge rendering it impassable. This time, they were on the other side of the river. According to the map, they wouldn't have to cross it at all on their way.

"There's an inn five more miles to the south along the river," she said to Red. She dropped the map from in front of her face. This time, Red had fallen asleep. Not caring about the sound of the river, he was sprawled out on the grass already snoozing. Blue put her hands on her hips and tisked at him.

She put the map back in the bag at her side and rummaged around for the Poke-flute. She was rather excited to try its effects on Red. After all, they only needed to walk five more miles to get to the inn where they could sleep in the next morning. She finally found the thin, wooden flute and held it up to her mouth. She put her lips on the top, her fingers on the two bottom holes, and blew. No sound.

"Is it broken?" she asked herself and blew again with the same result. Finally, Blue blew with all her might and was greeted to the unseen sounds of crying wild Pidgey's nesting in the trees. Blue slapped her head at her mistake. "Duh, the bottom two are for Pokémon, the top three are for-"

A faint boom and shaking ground interrupted her. Again the same sound, closer this time. Again, closer, like footsteps. She slowly turned around. A gigantic outline in the moonlight was approaching them. She was frozen as she heard the low angry grumbling of its voice. She dropped the Poke-flute and pulled out her Pokedex.

"'Snolax,'" she shakily read aloud. "'This Pokémon only wakes to eat. If awakened for any other reason, it is next to impossible to escape its rage." Boom. Boom. Boom! The ground was shaking as Snorlax sped up, angrily approaching the source of the sound that had awoken it from its slumber.

"Is there an earthquake?..." asked Red drowsily, woken up from the vibrating ground. "Blue what are you- OH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU DO?" Snorlax stopped twenty feet away from them, fully visible now in the moonlit night. The huge, fat Pokémon roared and stomped on its two feet, shaking the Pidgeys out of their trees.

"I didn't do anything!" said Blue covering for herself.

"Well, we gotta do something now! That thing is angry!" He released Wartortle from its Pokeball, who was sleepy itself. Blue followed suit with Nidorina.

Nidorina ran up and attempted its Double-kick technique on the giant Snorlax. Blue instantly thought of the fight with Kangaskhan, except this Pokémon was much more massive. The blue rabbit Pokémon kicked and simply sank into Snorlax's round belly before propelling backwards like a trampoline. This only succeeded in making it more angry. It stomped on the ground, the tremors almost knocked trainers and Pokémon off their feet. It rushed towards them.

"Wartortle, use Water gun!" commanded Red. Wartortle shot the powerful spray of water at Snorlax's face. Once again. Snorlax became even more enraged and started running faster at the two trainers and their Pokémon.

They immediately ran upstream. Snorlax was faster than its round figure would suggest and while they dare not turn around to gage their distance, they could feel the tremors in the earth drawing closer. Wartortle finally did what it could and grabbed its trainer, pulling Red and itself into the rushing river.

Red held onto Wartortle's fluffy tale for dear life as they rushed past Blue, her Nidorina, and the pursuing Snorlax in the opposite direction. Thankfully, Wartortle was just strong enough to fight the raging current and leap onto the river bank well behind Snorlax.

"Thank's a lot Red!" Blue screamed in panic. "That thing just needs to go back to sleep not get woken up even more with water in its face!" She stopped in realization and with a burst of courage turned around to face Snorlax. The giant Pokémon roared again, ready to punish its nuisance.

"Time to go to sleep!" she threw another of her Pokeballs into the air, and the tiny blue Poliwag emerged. Snorlax wore a confused (yet still agry) look on its face.

It reached down and picked up Poliwag by its tail. Poliwag was noticeably scared as it kicked its tiny legs in terror. Snorlax growled. Or was it its stomach growling? Blue couldn't tell. As Snorlax opened its mouth, Blue issued her command.

"Use Hypnosis!" Poliwag didn't need telling twice. It shut its eyes and began to swirl the spiral pattern on its belly. Snorlax fell asleep where it stood and wobbled on its disproportionately small feet and eventually fell backwards with a thud, smashing a small boulder with its head as it hit the ground. It was knocked unconscious. It dropping Poliwag who landed on the fat Pokémon's belly and bounced back to into its trainer's arms.

Without thinking, Blue threw an empty Pokeball at Snorlax. A dinging sound emenated from the Pokeball. Blue's Pokedex buzzed and she opened it to find Snorlax's name and a little icon of the Pokémon appear alongside her other Pokémon.

Red and Wartortle rushed over to her. The blue turtle high-fived Blue as if to say congratulations on the capture.

"G-g-g-good job," Red stammered as he was still cold and wet from the river. "That w-was a lucky ca-catch though, just sayin." He folded his arms close to himself as his whole body shivered. Blue picked up the Pokeball containing her new Pokémon, unsure what compelled her to attempt the capture. Maybe it was just her instincts as a trainer sensing opportunity.

"Like I said before this fiasco," said Blue, "there's an inn just five miles away. Now that you're awake, we can make it there soon and then sleep in tomorrow." She didn't mention the fact that she had mixed up the Poke-flute's sounds, sending the grumpy Snorlax into a rage that nearly hurt her and Red.

"Why did Snorlax even-"

"I don't know," snapped Blue. "Just come on." She grabbed Red's cold, soaked hand while holding the confused little Poliwag in the other arm and led him south along the river in the direction of the inn the map said awaited them.

A few steps behind them Wartortle and Nidorina walked still outside their Pokeballs. Wartortle tried to grab Nidorina's hand too and winked, but Nidorina turned her rabbit like ears away.

Red somehow felt warmer on the inside Blue held his hand and led him, but his chattering teeth told a different story. Little under an hour later, the smoke from the chimney of the small cottage inn was seen as the two young trainers and their Pokémon finally neared a moment of rest.


	11. Chapter 10 - Land of the Ninja

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 10**

**Land of the Ninja**

**The Inn South of Lavender Town-**

Red and Blue arrived at the Inn in the early morning hours. Red was still soaked from head to toe and shivering from the river. When they walked into the lobby of the cozy wooden building they had to wake up the attendant who was sleeping (rightfully so) at the front desk. They rented two separate rooms and promptly got their eight hours of beauty sleep, which ended up being more like ten hours of beauty sleep.

The attendant (who just so happened to be the owner as well) banged on the door demanding payment. Blue promptly answered her door and paid him for both of the trainers with some of the winnings they had earned during Pokémon battles. Unable to go back to sleep at two in the afternoon, Blue decided to go down to the lobby for the complimentary breakfast (more like lunch).

She happily released her Pokémon when Pokémon food was also provided. Nidorina, Ivysaur, Poliwag, and Butterfree were happy to stretch their legs from being inside their Pokeballs. She was about to open her fifth inhabited Pokeball, but decided against releasing Snorlax indoors, if at all.

Red wandered down as they were eating.

"Where's da pancakes?" he sniffeled. Red had caught a little cold. "I wanted da breakfast…" He settled for a sandwich and released his Pokémon to eat too.

Blue jumped right into the days plan. "Fuchsia is about a day's walk away. If we just follow the shoreline like it says on the map we can get there with minimal trouble."

The inn they were at was the end of a road. If they walked south for a couple of hours, they would end up at the southern shore of Kanto. Then they would turn west and right into Fuchsia. Red traced his finger along a more direct path through a large green area.

"Why can't we just cut through here?" he asked.

"That's the Safari Zone," she said. "The last unmapped area of Kanto. I did some research on one of the computers in the lobby here and its pretty much like the Amazon rainforest. It could get pretty dicey in there because no one really knows how strong the wild Pokémon that live there."

"Well I could go for some strong Pokémon!" sniffed Red proudly. "Maybe I can get a Snorlax of my own!"

"I wouldn't go through there," said the inn owner. "That area is protected by the Fuchsians. They're very territorial about the Safari Zone."

Blue leaned over and whispered to Red as he blew his nose in a napkin. "How come everybody always overhears our conversations?"

"Don't cross the Fuchsians," the owner continued. "Sometimes they come up this far north… Ninjas: that's what they are. Strange folk and skilled fighters and Pokémon Trainers in their own rights."

They finished eating and recalled their Pokémon into their Pokeballs, except for Butterfree and Pidgeotto. They would flutter and fly ahead at their trainers orders to scout out the land and warn them if any "ninjas" were wandering about.

The journey was quiet as they walked along the coastline. Not many trainers travel to Fuchsia from the east. Most of them that went to challenge the Gym cycled down the long bridge from Celadon City. The sky began to turn orange when Pidgeotto let out a cry, Butterfree flew back to Blue very quickly, urgent to alert its master.

Butterfree swiftly led them to where Pidgeotto was standing on the ground with wings spread, two black dressed Team Rocket members blocked their path. Red instantly released Pikachu, who sparked its cheeks intimidatingly at the Rockets.

"Well, well, well," said one of the members. "The higher ups were right! The two pests would come right to us!"

"You should just get out of our way!" said Red. "Pikachu!" The little yellow mouse put out more sparks before Red felt himself grabbed from behind, he looked to Blue who was held the same way, a bandana put around her mouth.

The Rocket member spoke again. "Why don't you just recall your Pokémon into their balls and hand them over, then we'll let you go back on your way."

A different voice spoke, a female voice a few years older than Red and Blue. A young woman dressed in black with her head wrapped tightly so only her eyes showed through. "No, you know the agreement. They will be taken to Koga." The Rocket member scowled but agreed.

The small woman led the way followed by the two Rockets, and finally the two taller ninja-dressed men who held Blue and Red's arms behind their backs. They were briefly alowed to recall their Pokémon before they were blindfolded.

They walked for another hour. Red had gotten a quick glance of the men and the woman who had apprehended them. They were dressed in black, but not Team Rocket members. Their heads were covered like the pictures of ninjas read had watched in movies when he was younger.

Blue could sense the hostility between the woman and the Team Rocket members. The woman and the two men didn't like working with the Rockets, who didn't much like following the ninja's rules.

Eventually, they felt themselves walking downhill. Their blindfolds were removed. Fuchsia was an old town. The buildings were built like the stereotypical Japanese thatched roofs. A sparkling ocean and dock rested to the south; old wooden boats were roped to the piers. What stood out to Red and Blue the most, however, was the prevalence of Team Rocket members everywhere. They stood in the open, leaning against doorways. The inhabitants of Fuchsia whispered to each other in disgust as they would pass the Rockets in the Streets.

They were led to a large, three storied palace. It shared the similar architectural features of the rest of the town, and a large wall surrounded the inner complex. They walked up many steps to the great wooden doors. Once inside a large hall was lined with statues of ninja-clad figures and their Pokémon. At the far end, a grim-faced man with ninja robes sat on a throne.

"Finally you've arrived as the Rocket King foretold," he said standing from his chair. "I am Koga, Gym Leader and King of Fuchsia. LET ME SPEAK." Red was going to respond and ask why they were being held captive, but Koga had more to say. "I know you are traveling Kanto seeking Gym Badges, and as a Gym Leader I will oblige you to a battle."

"Now?" asked Red. "We just got here-"

"AND YOU WILL FIND NO WELCOME FROM ME." Koga wasn't quite shouting but the anger and distrust he had for the two trainers, whatever the reason, was obvious.

"My friend the Rocket King desires you as his enemies," he continued. The ninja woman made her way up to Koga's right hand. Strangely, she wasn't looking at Red and Blue with glaring eyes, but the Team Rocket members who lazily filled the halls. "Yet, I am a man of honor, should you defeat me, I will give you my prize: the Soul Badge. Should you lose, you will be my prisoners and the Rocket King can continue his focus on bringing down the corrupt Kanto nation."

The giant doors swung shut with a thud. The ninjas released Red who was led by Koga behind his throne and out to a wide open, dirt battle plane surrounded by the palace walls.

"This is where we do battle!" said Koga. "Call forth your first Pokémon!"

Red was still in shock on being challenged to such a high stakes battle, forget the fact he had no preparation. All around the palace walls, Team Rocket members surveyed him, seemingly ready to pounce upon defeat. Blue was still gagged with a bandana and held by one of the ninjas. He decided he would go with his trusty Wartortle first. The blue turtle struck a proud pose.

"I was warned about your strategy by the Rocket King," Koga said with his arms folded. "We will each use two Pokémon in succession, classic Gym battle. Bring me Muk!" Three of his ninja servants brought out a large metallic barrel with a tap at the bottom and set it in front of their master. Koga snapped his fingers and the cork popped off the tap and a purple ooze sprawled out from the tap until the glob made itself in a rather strange shape. Red could make out eyes.

A few seconds later, everybody covered their noses because of the stench emanating from Muk overpowered the entire palace. Wartortle scrunched its face and charged but stopped as the smell was too powerful for it to get closer.

Koga let out a laugh. "It's hard to fight something when you can't get close to it!" Muk slowly oozed its way towards Wartortle who ran back by Red. It used its Water Gun attack to spray its enemy, but the Muk contorted its "body" to avoid the spray. The resulting water that lay on the ground allowed Muk to travel over it, moving faster. Wartortle tried to leap over it as it closed in, but the purple blob shot out a "hand" and snatched it out of the air slamming it to the ground.

Wartortle tried to pull away from Muk but the oozy Pokémon was too sticky to separate from. Red grimaced as his slowed Pokémon was eventually overcome by Muk. The smell knocked out Wartortle first, and then it was covered in Muk's purple gelatinous body. Muk passed again over the Water-Pokémon and stood in front of its Trainer again. Wartortle was unresponsive, knocked out. Red recalled it.

"One down, one left," mocked Koga. "As someone with four badges I expected more from you." Red saw someone creep onto the palace wall. Walking along in front of the Rockets who lined the wall was the woman who aided in their capture. She caught Red's eye and nodded. He turned to Blue, she was still gagged but relaxed. The ninja still held her.

Red was confident, he didn't know why. He sent out Pikachu, trying to use the same strategy he had used to defeat Brock: get it wet and zap it. Pikachu sensed the situation and sent powerful electric bolts at Muk. However, it moved with a previously unseen speed and tossed some its own oozy body at the sparks, absorbing the shock. It flung another of its ooze at Pikachu's head. Its aim was perfect, purple globs of smelly ooze covered Pikachu's red spark-producing cheeks.

"Try and shake it off, Pikachu!" said Red. This was getting out of hand. He didn't know what was harder to fight: Koga's Muk or the smell.

Pikachu tried to zap off the ooze to no avail. It was stuck. Finally, the unbearable stench caught up to Pikachu's sensitive nose. It inhaled a deep breaths trying to avoid the smell.

"Finish it," Koga said to Muk. The Team Rocket members leapt off the palace walls surrounding the battle field in anticipation, ready to apprehend their Boss's enemies. Muk tossed more and more sludge rapidly at Pikachu. It was difficult to tell what had caused Pikachu to collapse first, the smell or the combined weight of the heavy purple ooze. Red had lost.

"You may take them," said Koga turning his back. Team Rocket members rushed Red, who recalled Pikachu just in time. He may have lost the Gym fight, but he still had Machop and Pidgeotto to help him get out of trouble. Just as he grabbed their Pokeballs a popping noise was heard and a dark haze filled the battlefield. He felt something hit his neck from behind, then something else pick him up by the shirt and carry him away into the air. In a few seconds he was unconscious.

He awoke in a dark house, someone was by his bedside. Red was sore, he made out the figure of…

"Blue!" he said. "What happened? Where are we? Are our Pokémon safe?"

As if hearing the noise ninja-dressed woman and her two comrades walked into the room.

"You're awake," she said. "Yes, you are safe along with your Pokémon. Though many of my men were caught, and my entire squad is now labeled as traitors to Fuchsia."

Red and Blue were both confused.

"Who are you?" asked Blue. " You brought us all the way out here, now what do you want?"

All the way out here? Red must have lost track of time since he was knocked out.

The ninja woman spoke. "We are, or were, Koga's elite Ninja Commando Trainer unit. And we need your help to get Team Rocket out of Fuchsia. They've poisoned my father's mind and oppressed my people."

"Wait," said Blue standing up. Red sat up in his bed in sudden realization. "So you're-"

The woman lowered the coverings on her head, her face was grim like Koga's.

"I am Janine, princess of Fuchsia."

**Saffron City-**

The Boss sat in an office at a building in Saffron. He gazed out the window at the towering Silph Company Building in the middle of the city. His phone rang.

"What news from Fuchsia?" he asked. He listened before slamming his phone on the table.

A flash of light. Sabrina had appeared beside her Boss.

"Those two kids are slippery," he said. "They are becoming quite an unexpected thorn in my side."

"Don't worry," said Sabrina calmly. "All the preparations are finished. We are ready to take over Silph Tower. Soon you will have that which you seek."

The Boss turned back towards the desk. Classified Silph blueprints of a special Pokeball showed on his computer screen.

"With the Master Ball finally in my possession I can finally reclaim what had originally escaped from me. Then finding those kids, and all of my enemies, will be a walk in the park. Commence the operation immediately."

"Very good, sir," said Sabrina. She teleported away in a flash of light. The Boss once again looked towards the Silph Tower.

"Knock, knock," he said. "Your new ruler has come."


	12. Chapter 11 - The Safari Zone

The Rise of Team Rocket

**Chapter 11**

**The Safari Zone**

**Somewhere near Fuchsia City-**

Red was still sore as he and Blue were led outside the small cottage where Janine had stolen them off to. The small wooden building was one of many that rested atop a cliff, backed by a thick forest of tall, forbidding trees. Below the cliff in a valley, the tops of Fuchsia's thatched roofs could be seen above the treetops. Koga's Palace stood tallest of them all. The southern ocean could be seen, sparkling on the horizon.

Daylight was turning to evening as the two young trainers joined Janine and her two ninja partners around a campfire. The young woman, small but confident, greeted them.

"We can't keep you safe here for long," she said. "Team Rocket will be here in great numbers within the week. You have to get out of here."

Blue sat down and accepted a small roasted vegetable from one of the ninjas. Red shook his head.

"I need that badge," replied Red. "I'm not leaving here until I get it." One of the ninjas laughed.

"We all saw the battle, boy," he said. "If you went back the same result would happen. It's alright if you can't handle Muk's smell; few trainers can."

Blue quietly ate the vegetable before inputting her advice. "It's OK, Red. We can go for another Gym and come back when the whole Team Rocket issue has subsided."

"Even so," the other male ninja had now joined the conversation. "Your Pokémon are gonna need a lot more experience, kid."

"There is a way," said Janine. She had not eaten. Instead she was staring into the sunset. She turned around towards the thick forest that lined the backs of the cottages. "The Safari Zone."

Red and Blue looked at the tall trees. The forest seemed to deepen into eternity.

"If you and your Pokémon can learn how to survive on your own and fend for yourselves, then you may begin to understand how the ninja lives. My father and I come from a long line of Gym Leaders who live like the ninja and battle like the ninja. However, the risk may be too much."

Red looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"While there are many powerful, untamed Pokémon in the Safari Zone that can put unwary Trainers in peril, there is one that we ninjas respect above all others. This Pokémon is truly the embodiment of the ninja itself: speed, stealth, grace, efficiency, focused strength," Janine stood up now smiling as she gazed into the forest of the Safari Zone, almost hoping she catch a glimpse of that Pokémon. She turned to Red. "You must fight with this Pokémon if you find it. Learn from it, then challenge my father. That is, if it doesn't find you first."

Red's heart was pounding, his Trainer's sense of adventure was swelling from inside of him. A ninja Pokémon? He could study it, and use this experience to fight against Koga in a rematch. Blue wasn't so sure.

"Red, it sounds pretty dangerous," she wanted to leave Fuchsia and return to a more civilized place anyways. "Who knows what else is in there?"

Red turned back to her. "If I'm going to be Kanto League Champion one day, I need this. How many experiences will I have to learn from before I'm on the same level as Lance?"

Blue hung her head. "True," she said quietly.

Janine reached over and put a hand on Red's shoulder. "Don't rest any longer. If your mind is made up, then you must go. Release your Pokémon from their Pokeballs, you should all survive together."

Wartortle, Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Machop were all released in turn. As the moon was rising in the east they and their master strode into the dark forest and the Safari Zone.

Janine now turned to Blue. "Tell me, how do we fight Team Rocket?"

**Inside the Safari Zone-**

Red has lost track of the time. He had decided the first thing to do was find the nearest source of water. He sent Pidgeotto flying into the sky, trying to find any trace of a spring or stream that could sustain them as long as they needed to live there. Red delved deeper into the forest, and soon it was pitch black.

Red picked up two large sticks, and Pikachu happily sparked some fire on the tips of them as makeshift torches. The jungle was incredibly thick, and thick ferns and plants crowded the forest floor.

"Erika must have visited this place once or twice at least," he said to his Pokémon. Pikachu was riding on his shoulder as Red held a torch. Machop and Wartortle walked behind him, taking turns holding the other torch. When they would come upon the occasional large and strange looking plant, he made sure he was not walking into a wild Victreebel. Machop happily double-checked.

Eventually they heard the familiar call of Pidgeotto and the bird Pokémon flew back to them before leading them to a little clearing in the woods. A particularly large tree stood in the middle. Its roots had carved little ditches into the fresh earth beneath it. Inside one of the ditches, a small spring bubbled up from below.

"Hey guys, lets dig here and maybe we'll find some more water!" His Pokémon happily helped him dig in the soggy dirt and soon they hit the pocket of water that rested underneath the clearing. The ditch with the spring soon filled with fresh, clear water. Unfortunately, Red's clothes were dirty from all the upturned soil.

He reached into his bag and pulled out handy swimsuit he had packed long before at home just in case he found himself on a beach somewhere. He had Wartortle spray his dirty clothes down and hung them on some branches to dry. He called his Pokémon to him.

"Alright guys, good work tonight!" Wartortle promptly saluted as Machop bowed respectfully. "We'll sleep here and tomorrow we'll go look for some Pokémon to fight!" All four of his Pokémon nodded their heads. They promptly went to sleep.

Red awoke to something pulling on his hat he still wore. Pikachu had awoken him. Its face was covered in mud. "Pikachu what's-" The electric mouse Pokémon put a hand to its own mouth, signaling Red to be silent.

Red then noticed that the ditch that had once held water from the underground spring had run dry. Wartortle was laying down, army style. It had painted mud on its face as if it was camouflaging itself. Red deduced it had also taken the liberty of painting Pikachu's face as well. He looked around the clearing to find the rest of his Pokémon. Machop also had mud painted below its eyes and it held two large leaves in front of itself, trying its best to hide from something. Pidgeotto kept a silent watch in the tree above.

Wartortle's ear picked up a sound rustling in the trees in front of it. It signaled Pikachu with a quick, made up hand motion. Pikachu responded by shooting sparks into where the sound was supposedly coming from. Red heard a zap and a thud as Pidgeotto flew off the tree and carried back nothing more than a little Rattata.

Machop put its leaves down and walked over to "talk" to Wartortle in their Pokémon speech. It was scolding Red's blue turtle. As Red watched them chatter with eachother, he made out that last night while they were sleeping, something came and drank the spring dry.

"Hm," Red began to think outloud. "If something could drain that spring, then it must be big. In any case, it won't come back so we can challenge it if it knows we're keeping watch… If only there was a way to track it."

They spent the rest of the day exercising. Luckily, the tree they rested under bore a ripe, spicy fruit that Pidgeotto happily carried down. They juices scent was overpowering, and it was all Red and the Pokémon could smell for the rest of the day. The whole first day Red thought about a way to find the Pokémon who stole their water.

He finally had an idea. "Wartortle!" The turtle turned up from eating its fruit. Every hour or so it had decided to repaint its face with different materials, be it mud, tree sap, or the spicy fruit juice. "Can you refill the spring just for a night?" The turtle nodded its head.

Machop went into the jungle at Red's request and carried back a large rock. It used the rock to plug the bottom of the spring so that no water could escape. Then, Wartortle flooded it with its Water-gun technique.

"Good job, boy!" He scratched Wartortle's big fuzzy ear. "Now can you wet the ground all around this clearing?" The turtle then understood where Red was going with his thought process. It gently and precisely made the ground surrounding the fruit tree in the clearing.

Red and his five Pokémon sheltered themselves in a ditch around the other side of the tree out of sight of the re-filled spring, and fell asleep. It didn't seem long until he felt the familiar tugging of his hat. Pikachu had woken up, and signaled Red to be quiet.

Pikachu's ears were perking every now and then, it was listening. Red could hear a faint rustling in one of the treetops, followed by a quiet, almost silent buzzing that ended with the almost silent squish of a foot landing in the soggy dirt. A louder lapping sound could be heard. Something was drinking the water.

Red watched Pikachu climb up the tree careful not to alert the visitor. The yellow mouse disappeared silently into the top of the tree. The lapping sound around the tree had slowed, as if whatever it was was listening. In moments, Pikachu rushed back down the tree.

It waved its arms around like sign language. It waved its hands around its back, trying to signal wings. Then it hung its arms down and chopped them back and forth. Red couldn't deduce what kind of Pokémon matched that description.

"OK, here's what we're gonna do," he whispered to Pikachu. "Why don't you go up to the tree again. "I'll have Machop and Wartortle surround it, and then we'll attack. If it tries to get away, Pidgeotto will follow." Pikachu nodded and climbed the tree again.

Red woke his other Pokémon and whispered the plan. They silently walked around the edge of the clearing. The mysterious Pokémon was still drinking, seemingly unaware of it being watched. It had been a while since it had found a free, unguarded source of water.

Red walked around the clearing just far enough to catch a glimpse of the Pokémon. It was big. About four and a half feet tall, it crouched over its watering hole. He could see Wartortle's eyes get big in the darkness. The Pokémon was a green, insect like Pokémon with two sets of wings, and its arms were like two long claws, or rather, swords.

He pulled out his Pokedex, and found a Pokémon matching the description. " Scyther, the mantis Pokémon," it read. "Scyther are extremely rare and reclusive, but incredible in battle or when cornered." Machop readied into a fighting stance, its foot squishing into the soggy ground.

The wild Scyther kept drinking, but it turned its head slightly. Red could tell it knew it was being watched. Desperately, he gave Pikachu the signal to zap the drinking Pokémon with a Thunderbolt attack. As soon as Scyther saw the yellow sparks of Pikachu charging its power in the tree, it used its long sword-like arms so splash Pikachu with what it was drinking. Unable to stop producing electricity, Pikachu only managed to shock itself as the sparks coursed uncontrollably through the water that splashed on its body.

Wartortle seized the opportunity to try and spray Scyther with a Water Gun attack, who leapt impressively into the air. The spray only succeeded at hitting Pikachu as it fell from the tree, fried from its own electricity.

Scyther landed right behind Wartortle. It swiped at the turtle's head with its claw, and only barely missed as Red's Pokémon only just pulled its head in the shell at the last moment.

"Choooooooop!" Machop raced along the ground and leapt preparing a kick at Scyther's head. The green mantis lifted its head up and back as Machop sailed right between it and Scyther's long two claws. The grey fighter flipped in the air and skidded to a landing on its feet, upturning soggy dirt.

Seizing opportunity, Wartortle leapt and popped its head back out right under Scyther's chin, scoring a hard hit right under the chin that knocked it back a little. On its way back down to the ground, Wartotle bit onto Scyther's arm above the sharp claw. Scyther flew into a rage and was about to swipe at Wartortle's furry tail with its claw. This time Wartortle didn't quite pull in fast enough, and little white hairs fluttered to the ground.

Luckily, Machop did an impressive spinning kick right under the other claw. Scyther had never experienced Pokémon like this before in the Safari Zone, they weren't native. However, Scyther was a fast learner. These Pokémon were not quite as powerful as the monsters that dwell deeper in the jungle. It soon figured out what Wartortle and Machop's tendencies during fighting were.

It swiped mercilessly at Wartortle, who couldn't do anything but pull various limbs into its shell. After swiping the turtle into the tree, it turned its attention to Machop. The mantis was at least twice the size of the grey Fighting-type Pokémon. It skillfully swung its arms around like an expert swordsman, and Red was in awe as Machop somersaulted and cartwheeled around the sharp claws.

Pidgeotto soon woke up and joined the fray, and after flying around the clearing for a while, it flew back up the tree and brought down a couple more of the spicy fruit.

"Pidgeotto, thanks but I'm not hungry now!" he sighed at the bird with two of the big, stinky yellow fruits in his hand. Scyther and Machop were still going at it, and it was truly a sight to behold. Machop bided its time (relatively speaking), mainly focusing on dodging Scyther as it swiped and spun its swords at it. Occasionally, Machop would land a swift little punch on the blunt tops of Scyther's arms.

Pidgeotto cooed while tilting its head at Machop. Red finally understood. "Machop! Catch!" Red threw one of the fruits at Machop who jumped to dodge a low sweep from Scyther. It backflipped in the air as it caught the fruit. Machop ran head on towards Scyther, its adversary.

Scyther had no idea what Machop was doing as it raised its arm, ready to bring it down like a guillotine when it got closer. It brought the arm down with a chop! Luckily Machop had tossed the fruit into the air as it rolled to the side. Scyther had sliced the fruit in two, and its claw had come down so hard it got stuck in the wet ground.

The Fighting-type Pokémon, grabbed the slices of fruit and took two leaping steps up Scyther's arm like a ramp, and squirted the spicy fruit's juices into the giant mantis's eyes. It screamed in pain and shook its head from side to side. By this time, Pikachu had recovered from its accidental shocking, and had brought Wartortle to its senses as well. They combined their water and electric attacks to form a glowing spray of electrically charged water.

The sun began to peek over the treetops and the attack hit Scyther head on as it couldn't get out of the way because its arm was still stuck in the mud. It cringed and convulsed as electricity still sparked through its body. Machop came around and landed a spinning kick in the head from behind, knocking Scyther off balance. Pidgeotto took off and began to circle the giant bug, until Red saw the look in its eye it knew all too well.

"No!" he screamed at Pidgeotto. He held a blank Pokeball in his hand. "That's not how we welcome new team members!" He chucked the empty Pokeball at Scyther, dizzy and trying to regain its balance.

**The Ninja Cabins outside the Safari Zone-**

The sun rose on the second day since Red had left. Blue had no way of contacting him. She thought about sending Butterfree into the Safari Zone to come back later and let her know, but decided against it.

"He needs to do this on his own," she said. She walked outside and looked over the cliff. She had told Janine all about Team Rocket and the schemes she and Red had uncovered fighting against them. Then, she left.

Now, Blue looked down the cliff and saw Janine as well as ten more ninjas below.

"Help us up!" the ninja woman said.

"Ivysaur!" She had released all her Pokémon save Snorlax to eat. Ivysar waddled by and sent its vines from its flower down the cliff. It wasn't long between all ten of the ninjas and Janine expertly climbed back up.

"These men are all that's left that will go against father with me and fight Team Rocket," she said.

"That's not all," Blue said. "Red needs a way to re-challenge Koga without Rocket interference." She had begun to always think of how Red fit in with her and Janine's plan to expel the Rockets from Fuchsia.

"Well, the Rockets who have the least badly trained Pokémon stay in the main hall of the Palace where father sits. We need a something big to draw their attention away from Red."

Blue pulled out the Pokeball of Snorlax. She hadn't released it since it was captured "I think I've got just the Pokémon you need."

A large shuffling sound was heard coming from the forest. Blue's Pokémon growled and turned their attention to it. Janine pulled out a Pokeball and readied herself as well, ready for any large Pokémon that dared to cross out of the Safari Zone.

Butterfree cheered as Pidgeotto flew out of the forest with great speed. Closely behind ran Machop, who bowed respectfully to Janine and Blue. Then came Wartortle, who had re-painted muddy patterns on its shell arms and face. Blue laughed at the turtle: always light-hearted. Then, a green Pokémon she didn't recognize emerged from the woods, leaping from the trees as its wings buzzed so it could land softly. Only then did she see Red hop off its back, Pikachu hanging onto Red's shirt.

"We're back!" he said. "Look what I caught! It's name is Scyther."

Blue's Pokémon all gathered around, greeting their new friend. Janine walked over and bowed to Red.

"I now recognize you as honorary ninja," she said. The rest of the ninjas bowed too. "Though the Scyther you found and caught is still young, seeing it demonstrates your skill as a trainer. Come! There's no time to lose let me tell you my plan."

She, Blue, Red, the Ninjas, and all the Pokémon all gathered in the wooden cabin, ready to go over an assault on Koga's Palace.

A tall man robed in grey stood in the shadows of the trees, observing all who went into the cabin. The Phantom slunk back into the Safari Zone silently, unseen by even the ninjas.


End file.
